The Legend of Zelda: The Tide of Chaos
by Time's Chosen
Summary: Link's epic adventure after returning from Termina after four years, finding Hyrule thrown into fear. Rated T for blood and violence, usually traditional Zelda violence though. UPDATE: New Chapter One! Now it's a REAL first chapter.
1. Chapter 1: Home

**Part One**

_Growing Shadow_

Chapter One

_Home_

The Child was a nuisance. How could any youth be such a thorn in Ganondorf's side? He had more power and cunning that the Gods themselves, and he was stopped by a boy that could barely lift his sword!

Ganondorf pounded on the obsidian desk, driving a deep crack down the middle. He looked at the break, and it did not serve to quell his rage. He kicked the desk hard, and it shattered against the wall into sharp splinters that sprayed across the floor. They cut his arms and face, trickling blood down his brown skin. He barely noticed. The Triforce of Power, glowing brightly on his right hand, was throbbing painfully. He looked at it, and a pang of fear struck his stomach like a physical blow. It glowed red; the light was throbbing with the pain in a rhythmic strobe. He knew what was happening.

"Guard!" he screamed, and a Lizalfos armed with an obsidian stiletto ran through the big double-doors immediately. His eyes clouded with fear for a moment at the sight of the shattered desk. But he quickly snapped back to focus and bowed hastily several times.

"I beg your pardon, Sir, I was—"

"Your pardon means nothing to me, fool!" He looked down at his hand and his voice lost its edge. "Bring me Agahnim… Waste not a second."

The Lizalfos raced from the room.

--------------

Link was home.

Four years had passed without even a glimpse of his friends, but he was home now. The forest began to look familiar as he walked eagerly between the trees, his heart lightening with every step.

His old home was gone, at least for the moment. He would return, of course, someday. But for now, that past had faded in the wind. Except for the necklace.

He looked down into the crystal pendant. Romani, Cremia, the Ranch, Clock Town, it had been blown out like a candle. He saw reflected in the pendant the final moments, playing over and over in the heart of the crystal.

-------------

"_Thanks for the help, bud," Jim said, offering Link a crooked smile. "I been meaning to fill that up for weeks!" Link glanced down from the lantern hanging from the Bombers' Tunnel ceiling and smiled at Jim. "But you're getting a little old to be a Bomber. Fourteen's supposed to be the limit, but… You been doin' your part for the last coupla years. No big deal."_

_Link jumped down from the footstool and handed Jim the empty oil bottle, wiping his forehead. "No problem. But I have to go home." he glanced over Jim's shoulder, out of the tunnel at the golden horizon. "It's getting dark."_

_"No prob, Bob. You can go whenever you like." He batted absently at a thread hanging from his sweater. Link pulled the Kokiri Sword from his leg and cut it smoothly before pushing past him, towards the end of the tunnel. He turned around and waved, backpedaling quickly away._

_It was dark by the time he had reached Clock Town's city limits. Anju brushed past him, smiling radiantly. Link wondered for a moment why she was wandering outside of Clock Town after dark, when the creatures sometimes came to see the moon from the fields. He thought for a moment, and then shrugged it off. It was not long before the screaming was heard._

_Link whirled around to the sight of Anju and the figure of a man, obscured in shadow. The figure spoke, and his voice was one Link knew. "And the ring. Hurry up, and no one has to be hurt." Anju attempted to tear away from the figure, but it caught her by the shoulders._

_Link didn't waste any more time. "Hey! What are you doing?"_

_The Smiling Thief stepped from the shadows. Link had handled him before, but never like this._

_"Sakon. This is braver than you. What has driven you to such desperation?"_

_The Smiling Thief flashed his trademark grin at Link. "Meddling in others' business is a sin, Link. You're not usually one to do the wrong thing. Why don't you move along?_

_"I can't do that, Sakon. Let the girl go."_

_He pushed Anju to the ground and approached Link, that wicked grin flashing on his lips all the while. "Or what? Are you going to threaten me to death? Or run away and let me watch you cower behind the trees? Go ahead, I'm fine either way."_

_The words had barely left his mouth when the Kokiri Sword seemed to jump into Link's hands and towards Sakon's throat of its own accord. The thief raised his hands up in front of the blade and took a step back. "H-hey, I don't want any trouble. The girl can go, just put the weapon away." Link slid the sword back into its sheath. As soon as it was secured, Sakon ran into Clock town with his arms stretched out in front of him, forming an almost comical pose, dropping the things he had taken from Anju out behind him. Link rushed to where Anju had fallen. He offered her his hand and she took it, rising to her feet and dusting herself off._

"_Thanks, Link. Who knows what could've happened if you hadn't showed up."_

_Link shrugged and studied the top of his dust-bitten leather boots. "Just doing what I have to. It was my job, once."_

"_It still can be, if you want it to. Hey, come have dinner with Kafei and me. You can tell him the valiant story of my rescue in person. I'm sure Romani won't mind."_

"_No, she would," Link mixed a laugh with a sigh. "Besides, I don't feel very well. I think I should go home anyway."_

"_Oh. Well, get well soon, Link!" Anju took her wedding ring off the ground and continued on her path home. The truth was, he really didn't feel well. His left hand was throbbing mercilessly. He figured he had grabbed the hilt of his sword wrong in his haste, but… he had taken his sword from its sheath quickly dozens of times, and it had never hurt. The pain in his hand was curling his stomach into dreadful knots. He walked home and then took the fingerless gauntlet from his hand. His heart skipped a beat at the sight; this had never happened before._

_The triforce on the back of his hand, the one that had been there since he had pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, was glowing bright white. The light pulsed with the pain slicing up his arm._

"_That can't be good… Romani?"_

_Romani's head poked out from the kitchen doorway. She was wearing a funny white hat that made Link snicker a little. "Nice hat, Romani."_

_She gave Link a look that sent him a very clear message: _that's not funny.

"_Link, I'm busy. What do you want?"_

"_I want you to look at this."_

_Romani walked across the kitchen, revealing that she was also wearing an apron with a sky-blue ducky pattern and carrying a beaten mixing spoon. Link lowered his head to keep laughter from bursting out of him. Romani, completely serious, kneeled down next to Link and looked at his pulsing hand. "Cool."_

"_Yeah, but it hurts. What's wrong with me?"_

"_I dunno. What were you doing before it started hurting?"_

"_That's a long story."_

"_Well, keep it to yourself, then," She got up, smiling slyly at Link. "And lemme finish cooking."_

_Link stood up. He wasn't laughing anymore, because he knew what he had to do. "Romani."_

_Romani sighed heavily and turned around. "Yes, Link?"_

_He didn't want to go through with it. It wasn't worth it. Why now, now that he had a home, and a life? And a family?_

"_C'mon, Link, spit it out."_

"_I think…I think I need to go home."_

"_Well, you are home. How much homer can you get?"_

"_No, real home. Back into the forest. Hyrule."_

_Romani dropped the spoon and stared at Link, open-mouthed. Cremia walked through the door, and both pairs of eyes turned instantly towards her. She was carrying two brown shopping bags precariously in one arm (one crammed full of coconuts) while her other hand rested on the doorknob._

"_Hey guys, come help me carry stuff. There was a sale on coconuts, and—Link, what's wrong with your hand?"_

"_He's going home, Cremia." The expression on Romani's face only changed with the brimming of tears in her eyes._

"_He's home now, isn't he?" Cremia looked down at Link, who was still nursing his pulsing hand. He looked up into her eyes and the look in them, a terrible mix of courage and despair, gave her the answer. "Oh. Home. When, Link?"_

"_Tomorrow, I guess. Soon. I need to."_

_Link didn't sleep that night. Partly because of the pain rhythmically jabbing his arm, and partly because, when his eyes closed, all he saw was the faces of his friends, all the moments in Termina. He was surprised by things that came back to him, the very smallest things. Gathering cuccos, rowing a boat, laying in the grass. What was home if not this?_

_Hyrule._

_He grew very warm before dawn and kicked off his blankets. But the heat didn't leave until the sun peeked between far-off mountains, a dreadful dirge to Link's new life. It was time to leave._

_He left early, after the sun had risen but before the day had really begun. Cold dew still touched the grass like the fingers of a child, and warm rays of light shone through the trees in perfect white beams. Link's heart dropped when he saw it. He may never see it again._

_Romani and Cremia had come with him to see him off, but they would have to return home soon, and Link would be all alone. He didn't cherish the thought._

"_It was good having you, Link," Cremia said, breaking the perfect silence of the perfect morning. "We were glad for you while you were here. Promise that if you ever come back, you'll visit us." She held her pinky finger out to Link, who took it in his. They broke apart again and Cremia blew him a kiss before taking her leave. She was gone, but Romani wasn't._

"_I'm not ready for you to leave yet, Link," she said, and a tear broke her gaze._

"_I have to, Romani. What am I gonna do if I don't? It's time."_

_Romani lifted something from her pocket and looked deeply at it for a moment. "I don't know where I got this. This morning I just… had it. Maybe I found it last night, I dunno. But I think it belongs to you."_

_She held the thing by a chain protruding from the top. It was a crystal, cut perfectly into a point on one end and tapering into the chain on the other. It was beautiful, and held Link's gaze for a moment before he broke away._

"_It's not mine, Romani. Maybe it's Cremia's."_

"_No, it's yours. Even if you've never seen it before, I _know_ it's yours. Take it." She jabbed it at him, and he took it. He put it over his neck, and it felt safe there, secure, like it was meant to be there._

"_Come back, Link. I'm serious. If you don't ever come back, I'm going to kill you." Her completely serious expression never left her face. Link smiled one last time._

"_I love you, Romani." And it was true. Not as a man loves a woman, but as a brother loves his sister. And she _was_ his sister, and he would carry that with him forever._

"_I love you too, Link. Don't forget us here. Let the necklace help remind you. And…Come back."_

_He wrapped her up in a final embrace, and she rested her head on his shoulder and sighed. And on that perfect morning, he was happy._

-------------

Almost home.

Nightfall had long since broken, and the Lost Woods were at an end. Link leaned on the huge hollow log serving as an entrance to the Kokiri village for a moment, overlooking his long-forgotten home. He had forgotten how beautiful it was. The fireflies brought a glow to the air, making the whole forest appear to be caught in a dim green fire. A half-moon, partly obscured by thin wisps of cloud, glistened off of the newly wet grass. It was Kokiri Village, _his_ village, the one he had left behind. He was glad to see it again.

Remembering his old childhood rhythm, he jogged of to his left and leapt from a ledge onto the roof of the Kokiri Forest's only shop. Without losing momentum he jumped again, from the roof to the ground. He rolled onto his feet and skipped over the stepping stones across the river, laughing quietly to himself. He practically sprinted up his treehouse's ladder (it seemed so much larger four years ago) and ran inside. From the one window the moonlight shone in, revealing the silhouette dark figure.

"Link! You're home…" the voice startled him. He drew the Kokiri sword from his leg and jumped a step backwards.

"Oh, put that away, Link. You always were a little jumpy with that sword."

Saria stood up, and the moonlight touched her soft smile. Link put his sword away and smiled back. This was his home, and she was his family. Wasn't she?

Saria wrapped her arms around Link's waist and hugged him tight, then pulled away and laughed quietly. "It's good to see you, Link."

She sat back down and looked around the room. "Sometimes when I'm missing you, I'll come in here and just… look around. I thought maybe if I came in here I'd be able to feel a little bit of you left. I did tonight, and I knew you were home." She smiled and sighed. "We missed you, Link." And he knew he was home. He was home in Termina, and now he was home here. This was his family.

"Tired, huh? I would be, too." She got up and walked towards the door. "If you need anything, just… ask." She winked and left the treehouse. Link sat down on his old bed and laid a hand on its rough surface. It was bigger when he had left, just like everything else. He sat back and smiled. He was home.

Home.


	2. Chapter 2: Epona

**Alright, this chapter's a little longer and more interesting, and I don't own Zelda, so read what I wrote about it instead.**

Chapter Two

_Epona_

The morning after, Link woke up with a brighter sun than he had seen during all four years of living in Termina. Of course, because of the position in which he had fallen asleep, he had a kink in his neck and his legs and back were sore, but he still strode through town with a very joyful smile on his face. He was very happy to be home.

But he knew he had to leave soon, as his spirit was still pulling him towards Hyrule castle. So he said goodbye to all his friends, and walked outside Kokiri Village, across the bridge, and out into Hyrule Fields, where he played Epona's song on his ocarina, a slow tune he had learned almost six years ago now.

Almost as soon as the last melancholy note escaped the ocarina, he heard the galloping of hooves, and a beautiful and graceful chestnut horse, with a snow-white mane and tail, galloped closer and closer to Link's smiling face. As it approached him, it slowed into a trot, and stopped short in front of Link, and proceeded to nudge his shoulders and lick his face.

"Aw, Epona," Link said, trying to elude her wet nose. "You haven't forgotten me in the four years since I sent you home."

Link jumped on the already saddled Epona and, with a yell, kicked her sides and rode off towards Lon-Lon ranch.

As link reached Lon-Lon ranch, Malon was working outside, looking like she was breaking a pony, but Link didn't know enough about horses to know what she was doing. She glanced up at Link as he trotted towards Lon-Lon Ranch, and then looked back at her work. But a look of surprise came across her face, and then a wide smile. She ran as fast as she could towards Link and Epona, and the first thing she said when she reached them was, "What do you think you're doing with my horse young man?"

To this, Link's only reply was," I missed you too, Malon." And he jumped off his horse. But before he had even reached the ground, he was grabbed up in a great bear hug that knocked the wind out of poor Link. Without letting go of Link, Malon whispered, "Where have you been for the last four years, Link? And what did it have to do with Epona for the first year?"

Link replied, "Sorry, Malon. A mask kidnapped her." He could still hardly breathe, and Malon refused to let go of him. No matter how he wriggled, her hug grew tighter.

But with Link's reply to her question, her hug loosened just enough for him to step back, and then she said, in a louder voice, like she was calling to some one, "What does that mean, Link? What have you been doing for the last four years?"

"That question would take some answering, Malon. It's not a conversation that can be had in less than an hour." He was smiling (and almost laughing) now, and wished he was still in Malon's tight hug; he needed more hugs than he had gotten in the past two years.

"Then come in, Link! You must be starving, and we're starting dinner now! You must tell me everything!" With that, she ran back inside, with skips and twirls along the way. The white pony, still standing in yard, appeared triumphant as if it had won a great victory against Malon, and walked back into the stables and fell asleep.

When dinner was finished, and Link, Malon, and Talon were sitting about the table, Link was immediately bombarded with questions from both of them, mostly about Epona:

"Where has Epona been?"

"What was all that about the mask?"

"Was she kept safe?"

"When did you send her back?"

"Was she sent back on her own?"

"How did she get back?"

"Did you send her back?"

Then came the other questions:

"How much later did you come back?"

"Where have you been the past four years?"

"When did you return?"

"Where have you been since you came back?"

And lastly, from Malon:

"Why haven't you written?"

At this, Link knew no good answer to all these questions, so he resolved to telling his whole story, from the time he entered Termina, to the time he killed Majora's remains.

At the end of the story, everything was quiet for a moment. After about half a minute, Malon made the reply, "At least now I know why you haven't written!" This caused Link to laugh.

"But what has happened from the time I have gone?"

"Many things. It has been relatively quiet since Gannondorf broke loose, though." Replied Talon.

At this, Link was very taken aback. "I'm sorry; can you run that by me one more time?"

"Yes," said Malon, "Gannondorf broke free last year. Many were killed, and no one has seen him since that day. But strange things have been seen."

"What kind of strange things?"

"All kinds of things. People see armies of Re-Dead march across Hyrule Field, and then disappear in the blink of an eye. Some have even seen… apparitions of things you killed."

Link's face turned ghost-white. "Which things? The monsters… or the **_monsters_**?

"Both," said Talon. "Some have even seen the wandering spirit of the Fierce Deity itself, running like a wolf, howling at the moon."

"I have had previous experiences with the Fierce Deity. He skipped that part of the story; it was too evil to speak here. But he told it now, in full.

"Before I came home, I burned the mask, so no evil would find it and use it to their advantage. It can do terrible things to a soul… It causes you to become like a monster, makes you lose most control over your body. It gives you unimaginable power, but terrible things come with it. I could not let it fall into the wrong hands. But I guess, in burning it, I set the Fierce Deity's soul free… Who knows what I've caused…"

To change the subject, he turned the conversation back to Epona, which, as he soon learned, was a mistake. "So, has Epona been doing well since I left?" He was then assaulted with far too much gibberish to understand, so he gave a laugh and finished his dinner while they babbled mercilessly.

After dinner, Malon led him to the guest room, and told him that he could sleep there tonight. Afterwards, he went outside for fresh air, as it was stuffy in their house because of all the cuccos that lived there. As he left, Malon followed him out, and found him leaning against the tall ranch fence, made of sharp logs.

"I missed you, Link. We all did. All of Hyrule came looking for you, a few times. I think Zelda missed you the most."

"I know, Malon. I think… I think I will visit her tomorrow. But I'm not sure yet, so much has happened…

"Alright, you can leave. But remember to visit sometimes, and don't suddenly disappear. And, if you do, please, remember to write."

"I do not hope to disappear again, at least not any time in the immediate future, or ever, if I'm lucky. But if I chance upon ever having to disappear again, I will definitely remember to write." At this they both laughed, though neither of them knew why."

"Malon?"

"Yes, Link?"

"Can I borrow Epona for a while?"

"Of course you can, Link, just remember to let her come back to eat, and sleep," She gave him a tight squeeze, and walked back inside to go to bed.

"Good night, Malon!" he yelled after her, but he didn't think she hard him. So he retired to the guest room and fell into a deep sleep."

Link woke up in a black castle, chained to the wall. He heard a cry, and a terrible scream, and knew immediately what it was. "Zelda!" he screamed. All he heard in reply was another scream. His chains fell from his hands. He was dropped six feet to the ground, and fell on his back. He hardly felt the pain. He ran as fast as he could to the next room, where he saw a black stone table and Zelda chained to the wall. It looked like she was being whipped, but thee was nothing whipping her. The cuts appeared on her dress nonetheless.

Upon further inspection of the table, he saw a very dusty, black, hand mirror with rose designs around the circular glass. He looked into the mirror, and instead of his own reflection, he saw a terrible soul in it. The soul smiled, and then Link's consciousness was engulfed.

Link woke up in his guest room in Malon's house, shivering and covered in sweat. He was terribly cold and clammy, and his voice was hoarse, like he had been screaming, and he felt as though he had been crying.

Just then, Malon entered his room. "Link, I—" Then she glanced at him. "Link, what's wrong?"

"I'm not sure, Malon. I… I had a nightmare. I don't remember." He was still shivering.

Malon didn't know what to say. "Well, do… do you need anything?"

"No. I need to leave. I need to see Zelda. I think… I think terrible things are about to happen.

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not that I know of, except that I can keep Epona for a little longer."

"Okay, but can you at least stay for breakfast?"

During breakfast, Link and Malon talked about nothing in particular, and pretty much left Talon out of it. Then came the question Link hoped Malon wouldn't ask.

"Link, what did you dream last night, anyway?"

"I'm… I'm not sure. Something… something about… a mirror… and chains… I don't remember now." But that was only a half-truth. He couldn't have explained it, but he could almost remember the whole dream, word for word. But he wished he couldn't remember, and he certainly did not want to tell Malon.

From that point on, breakfast proceeded normally, and presently Link had to leave. He saddled Epona, who was still excited to see him from yesterday, and climbed on her back.

"Goodbye, Link. If you disappear for long, remember to visit some times, or at least remember to write."

"Don't worry, Malon. I will write, if it kills me."

At this point, he kicked Epona's sides, and rode off towards Hyrule castle. As he rode away, the last thing he heard was, "Remember to write, Link! Don't Forget! Don't forget…" And with that, Link was off, with images of his nightmare still flashing through his mind.


	3. Chapter 3: A Secret War

**Chapter three! That one took longer to write, and should take longer to read. Read and review, and remember kids, I do not own Zelda.**

Chapter Three

_A Secret War_

As Link approached Hyrule Castle, he got a terrible feeling in his gut, as if he had been framed for murder and the victim's father just challenged him to a duel. Epona seemed to slow down, too, and Link felt there must be some evil radiating from the Castle. He hoped to goddesses he was wrong.

It was still early in the morning, almost so early it was still dark, but the horizon grew pink as he rode. The drawbridge was just coming down as he reached it, and where he was halfway across it, Epona stopped. He couldn't have made her go any further if he could throw her. So he told her to go home, which she seemed to take at great relief, and approached the castle on foot, his terrible feeling not leaving (and this and his nightmare still flashing through his mind made a terrible duo). He was sure this wasn't even the beginning, but he already wished it was over. But his sword was still strapped to his back, and if something evil had happened in there, he wasn't going down without a fight.

He walked across the rounded drawbridge, now without the company and warmth of his horse, and entered Hyrule Castle town, only to find it empty. He assumed this was only because of how early it was, but he couldn't be sure. He loosened his sword from his sheath.

He walked across the empty marketplace to the gate on the other end, which was already open. _Probably for the guards to change shifts,_ he thought, and walked slowly and cautiously through the grey-brick arch. His heart was beating wildly, and every moving thing made him jump. But what he saw now made his heart stop cold.

The real gate, which was patrolled by Hylian guards, was under attack. There were two Lizalfos, Gannondorf's nasty reptile-men, and they had bound the guards tight so that their hands' circulation was cut off, and they grew red, and soon purple. Link was glad he had loosened his sword from its sheath, which he now yanked with unseen speed. The Lizalfos heard this, and looked up with surprise at young Link, and their first expression was fear. All in Hyrule knew what Link had done, even the remnants of the monsters. But their expression changed to a wicked smile, and link was afraid of what would happen next. But it was the last thing he had expected from a Lizalfos.

A dark aura grew around them, and they were concealed in a smoky shadow. It looked as if their sea-green skin had turned a purplish black. They both pulled bladed staves symmetrically, and even they were the same purplish black. They both charged at Link symmetrically, with their staves held across their chests, evidently to decapitate Link.

The biggest problem was, though, that they moved with an insane, inhuman speed, more than three times faster than any average Lizalfos. All Link had time to do before the blades would rip down his neck was hold his sword in front of himself, and they're shadow-blades collided with it. His small Kokiri short-sword broke in two, and the most that the Lizalfos got was to skid through the dust five feet, and stop short symmetrically with their long blades both pointed at Link. Fortunately, however, Link knew how to stop it this time.

The Lizalfos charged him with their inhuman speed, this time with their staves pointed at him like a lance. But as the ends of the blades came within a foot of Link, he ducked and took one of their staves, and tripped the one whom he had disarmed. In that same fluid movement, he drove the staff between his ribs, through his heart, out the other side, and six inches into the ground. It wriggled and twitched like a snake under the staff for a moment, and then lay still.

Now the other Lizalfos looked at Link with fear. He was gaping in surprise, and his slanted eyes grew round and wide. Link guessed the Lizalfos thought the Shadow made him immortal.

Link was surprised at this feat himself, and never could've dreamed that the shadows did nothing to the Lizalfos' constitution. But now he was ready for the next one, and it hesitatingly charged towards Link. But he himself made it easier than Link had expected, and just passed out while charging. Link untied the guard's leather bands around his arms and mouth, and used them to tie up the Lizalfos that had fainted.

Link looked over his work, and let out a disgusted sigh and a grimace. Just then, he remembered the guard. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine when the blood returns to my arms. Thanks for taking care of those freaks, by the way."

"No problem. I need to see the Zelda, is she home?"

"Um… wait, uh…" The guard pulled some papers from his pocket, and scanned them over with his eyes. "Um, do you have an appointment?"

"I never needed an appointment before. This is pretty urgent."

"Name?"

"Um… Link?"

"Oh, like the Hero, huh?" Then his eyes widened. "Oh, please, come in!"

"The princess is just through here, sir."

The guard led him through a door in the castle that out in the courtyard where Link had first met Zelda. This place reminded him of so much, brought so much back that was hidden behind a door in his mind. The grass, the flowers, the fountain, each individual chirp of the birds, it was overwhelming to Link's mind. He looked around him and remembered every detail of his previous adventures, every syllable that was spoken. It felt like home.

Then Link saw the one thing that reminded him of everything the most. There, sitting on the edge of the beautiful marble fountain, was the Princess Zelda herself, whistling her lullaby to herself.

"It has been a long time, Zelda." Link muttered quietly, but in Zelda's ears it was loud. She had thought of his voice every day, and when she heard it, her heart skipped a beat.

She could barely control herself, but a half-second before she spoke, she remembered her manners. "Yes, it has." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She didn't know what to think. Her heart was beating fast, and she blushed at her words. _Aw, the heck with it,_ she thought, and sprinted through her fountain, stumbled on her dress, and wrapped Link in the tightest hug he had yet had. He couldn't feel his arms, but that may have been due to the fact that it felt like his heart had stopped beating the moment he saw her. He had missed her so much.

"Link, where were you? Where were you? Why'd you leave? Where did you go…"

Link was wrong. He could feel his arms, and he hugged Zelda back, almost as tight as she hugged him. Neither of them minded. "I'm home, Zelda. I'm home." Tears fell from both their eyes, and they could feel each other's heat-beat. They beat, although fast, in perfect harmony. Zelda whispered, "So much I need to tell you, so much I need to hear…" Her head rested on Link's shoulder, and Link hoped he would never have to pull away.

But he knew he had to sooner or later, and did presently. "What has happened, Zelda? The Lizalfos, they were… inhuman…"

"What has happened… I have very little knowledge of it myself, but I will try to explain it to you."

Over the next half-an-hour or so, Zelda explained what had happened in the four years since he had mysteriously disappeared. Gannondorf, with the help of a cultist named Agahnim, broke the Seal of the Sages, and ran rampant directly afterwards. Hundreds died, and almost all that had survived were severely injured. But then Gannondorf disappeared, and had not been seen since. In the last six months from the time Link returned, though, Hyrule had been constantly attacked and pillaged by beasts in black shadow, and they killed everything that moved with ease. Hyrule had been thrown into a secret war, a war the public had no knowledge of.

"So, you are the last hope of Hyrule, Link. We turn to you again for our redemption, and our survival. Find Gannondorf, Link. Defeat him, lock him away.Reclaim the master sword, make sure he never returns."

"I will do my best, Zelda. For Hyrule. But I have no weapon.The Lizalfos, they shattered it…" He held up the shards of his polished wooden Kokiri Sword, the once shining ruby in the hilt now dull and tarnished, as if any magic it had held was vanquished.

"That isn't a problem. Follow me."

Link followed Zelda to her large quarters, all the walls and furniture pink except for a large vanity-dresser, which was a dark brown wood. Zelda walked to this vanity, and opened the top drawer. When Link peered over her shoulder, he saw that the drawer was empty except for a single sword. It was silver, and had two silver eagle's heads for a basket on the hilt. It had a beautiful black leather hilt, with gold spots, and a head that looked like to snakes. The sheath was also of beautiful design, glossy black with gold spots, and a shining silver tip. "Here, take this."

As Zelda handed Link the sword, Link almost dropped it, not expecting it to be as light as a feather. He pulled it from its sheath, and the steel blade shone with suck a light it seemed to be glowing. "This must be the best sword I've ever held, apart from the Master Sword. Is it the Hylian Army standard?"

Zelda gave a giggle. "No, not a sword as fine as this. This belonged to my great-grandfather, and he fought many a battle with it. It's almost like a family heirloom, you might say."

"Does this sword have a name?" Link said, as he swung it in an almost playful manner, attempting to regain some of his lost prowess.

"It is Slahinyr, the Sword of Light."

"Thank you, Zelda. This is more than I could have possibly hoped for."

"No problem. You must only promise me you will use it for good, and for Hyrule."

Link nodded, and for the first time, Zelda realized how tired he looked, his bloodshot eyes, his dirty clothes.

"Oh, Link… C'mon, you need to go to sleep."

"No, Zelda, I can—"

"You can nothing. C'mon."

Link was led into another room, just like Zelda's, but everything was white, not pink. "You can sleep here tonight." Link sat down on the bed, and flashed Zelda a quick smile. Zelda walked over to him and gave him a squeeze. "It is good to see you, Link." She took a pink ocarina Link had never seen before from a fold in her dress, and began to play a melancholy song, with long, slow notes, and it lulled Link into a deep, dreamless sleep.

When Link awoke the next morning, he was much refreshed, although his mind was heavy with thoughts of Gannondorf's escape. He lay staring at the ceiling, listening to the birds chirp outside for a long time.

After what seemed like hours, a maid came into the room and began to dust things around the room. When Link sat up, she was very startled. "Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't know anyone was in here!" She had a Dutch-sounding accent.

Link replied with "No, its fine. Have you seen Zelda around anywhere?"

"Why no, sir. The whole castle's been looking for her; no one knows where she went. She seems to have just disappeared in the night."

"Well, thanks anyway." Link hopped out of bed and strapped Slahinyr to his back. He would have to go reclaim the Master sword. But at that moment, he remembered he had left the stones with "The stone guardians." Link muttered under his breath, with a "Hmm?" from the maid. He jogged out, ready to regain the Spirit Gems.


	4. Chapter 4: Strength of Poison

**Hooray, new chapter! This one came out faster, but I think it's the best one I've written yet! Review and tell me what you think, and don't forget that I don't own Zelda.**

**Chapter Four**

_Strength of Poison_

Gannondorf sat at his coal-like mineral desk; his fingers pressed together, his head bowed. He appeared to be sitting like that for hours, when a Lizalfos guard blundered in, and gave a hurried bow. "Your Lordship, I have bad news."

Gannondorf stood up, and put on a terrifying scowl. The room seemed to have grown darker, and Gannondorf seemed to grow taller. "How dare you interrupt my meditation? Have you no respect for those you call Lordship?" He screamed, in a more terrible voice than most even imagined Gannondorf had the power to reach.

The Lizalfos looked horrified, and jumped back a whole six feet, and then gave another bow. "V-very sorry, y-your highness. B-but it c-couldn't wait."

At this Gannondorf seemed to calm a little, and sat back down in his black stone chair. "Alright. What news could interrupt my thoughts? Spit it out, snake."

"Well, sir, um… It seems… Link has, uh, returned… and… killed… two of our most powerful soldiers."

An ugly stone knife pierced the Lizalfos' chest, and nailed him to the wall behind him. Gannondorf smiled at his marksmanship, and then resumed his scowl. After a moment of thinking, he took a deep breath, and then exhaled. "Agahnim!"

Agahnim hurried into the room, and gave a low bow, so that his head almost touched the floor. "Agahnim, do you remember the mirror?"

Agahnim, a short man in a midnight-blue robe and hood, rubbed his chin in deep thought, then uttered in a high and bent voice, "Which one, sir? Oh, yes, that one!"

"Yes, that one. Put it on a pedestal in the Bronze Guard's trial. Don't be caught though. It seems link has returned."

Zelda sat playing her ocarina on the balcony outside her room. She played a slow, melancholy song she had written for Link, and no one had yet heard it but her. Halfway through a note, however, she stopped, and looked up at the stars. She once again felt Link's presence in Hyrule. "He has returned."

There was a brilliant flash of light, and where Zelda sat was Sheik, the last of the Sheikah tribe. He had much to do to prepare for Link's return. Sheik knew of Gannondorf's chaos powers, and knew the only way to regain the Master sword was with Slahinyr, the sword of Light. He had to regain it.

He leapt off the balcony, and ran behind a guard's back in complete silence. Not a single blade of grass seemed to have shifted. He ran for Hyrule's prison where she had a contact.

It took several minutes to reach the large campus, crowded with black, two-story buildings full of barred windows. Sheik planted his right foot on one of those windows, and as he leapt to the roof of the building, he heard someone scream, "Hey, get offa my window!"

He scanned the roof for the skylight, and it didn't take long to find it. He lifted the glass and placed it at his side, and tied his whip to a hole in the roof. With his whip tied outside, he lowered himself into Kaahshi's office, the warden of Hyrule prison. But as he did so, the warden herself walked in to the office, and Sheik quickly jumped to a shadow.

Kaahshi chuckled. She was a Gerudo, trained to be a security officer in Hyrule Castle, and Sheik knew her well. "Haven't seen you in a while, Sheik. I assumed you'd been laying low since the return of Gannondorf."

"Yes, basically. I feel that Link has returned. He will need Slahinyr to stop Gannondorf."

"Ah, that is a fragile subject indeed. It will not be easy to regain your ancestor's sword. At the moment, it is in the hands of Gannondorf's general, a very evil stalfos called Deimos. He has been granted Gannondorf's chaos powers, and will not be easy to defeat."

"Then I will kill him. To save Hyrule, I must claim the sword. I still have my katana on my back and my whip at my side. I will defeat him."

"If you need poison, there is a secret store of the stuff in the confiscation room." Kaahshi put on a disgusted scowl, and Sheik retorted, "What's that face?"

"Nothing, just poison… it's a terrible way to die."

Sheik laughed, and replied, "Yes, it is. But I think you underestimate the strength of poison."

Afterwards, Kaahshi gave Sheik the location of the base Deimos currently commanded. Sheik turned down the poison, he didn't need any.

A half an hour later, Sheik approached the evil fortress rising from the cold night sand-dunes of the Gerudo wilderness. It was a large base, with a high granite-like wall around it. In the walls was what appeared to be a small, one-story building, but according to Kaahshi's information, actually sprawled over a large underground area.

Sheik drew the ninja-to like katana from his back. It had a blue blade and a white hilt, and seemed to glow blue a little. Sheik (with the katana still in his right hand) jumped up and planted his left hand firmly on the top of the wall. However, just as it reached the top, a Moblin guard in black scale-mail and a stone looking spear, seemed to be patrolling the top of the wall when he noticed the white-gloved hand at the edge of the wall. It let out a grunt, and looked over the wall directly in the Sheikah's red eyes. He only had time for a gasp before the blue katana ran across his neck, and his head rolled from his shoulders.

Sheik jumped up on the wall, and overlooked the base that was now before her, kicking the Moblin's body to the side. The building also seemed to have a roof made for standing on, and there was a wooden trap-door in the middle of it, probably containing stairs down. Sheik leapt from the wall to the top of this building (There were far too many Lizalfos guards on the ground), and tied his whip to the parapets nearest the large, iron double-doors at the front of the building. He swung down on it into the base, and shut and locked the door behind him. _If this doesn't work,_ he thought, _this will hold the guards for a little longer._

Just as he had thought, there were stairs leading up to the trap-door on the roof, and next to those stairs were some leading down, spiraling far into the ground. Sheik took these, preparing for any number of soldiers down wherever they lead.

He counted sixty-two spiraling steps down into the ground, and peered around the corner at the bottom. There were four Lizalfos soldiers guarding a large door in that room. Sheik put his hand in a pouch on his waist, and pulled out four green-tipped needles. With a flick of his wrist, the four Lizalfos fell dead symmetrically.

Sheik walked into the room, again drawing his katana. There was more than this. It was too easy.

Sheik guessed correctly. From the ceiling, apparently through the stone, fell three Wolfos. The poison Sheik wielded could not affect the Wolfos' corrupt hide. The Dark Wolves knew this as well as she did.

The first of them snarled, and shot a sharp claw out at the Sheikah, but was deflected by the blue katana. Sheik's whip shot out at the black claws, and the Wolf was pulled across the room and into the floor, breaking a small crater in the white stone.

The second would not be deceived by the trick. As the whip shot towards it, it pounded its steel-like paw over it, and pulled it away with his other one. But as he did, three of the poison darts shot at its hide, distracting it for the smallest fraction of a second, while the sapphire katana shot through its mouth and out the back of its neck.

The third, quite a bit larger with glossy black fir, was cunning and its bright red eyes depicted intelligence. Its black claws were longer, thicker, sharper, and a darker and more menacing jet black, while the others' were very glossy.

The katana came down on its claws, and when any other claws would have shattered, his didn't give a single sign of wear. The katana moved from the Wolf's claws to his hind-legs with lightning speed, but the Wolfos leapt high over it and roared, and attempted to spring on the Sheikah, where the whip took its claws and swung behind Sheik, but the Dark Wolf landed safely on its feet. It was angry, though, as it had been battered badly at its landing, and gave a horrendous howl as if at the moon. This gave Sheik enough time to cut the Shadow Wolfos apart, and presently lunged the katana through its throat and out its back.

With all of the Wolfos killed, all three vanished in a wisp of black smoke, right down to the thick, tar-like black blood on spattered on the ground.

Sheik walked cautiously into the room, watching out for more soldiers. When he saw there were no more, he silently opened the large iron door the soldiers were guarding. Inside were around thirty chairs and a slide projector, with a blueprint of Hyrule Castle on it. Sheik took this and put it in a pouch on his waist. He then started tapping the brick wall with the katana.

_Thup, thup—Thup, thup—Clang!_

That was the noise he was looking for. It was obvious to him now, and he pressed in a brick that was a darker grey. The walls opened up to reveal a secret room. In the middle of it was a black-marble chair, and on it sat a large Stalfos, looking very strange in a chain mail basinet and shirt. He had a mangy grey mustache that hung past his chin and a beautiful sword was strapped to his back.

With the entrance of Sheik, he stood quickly and drew the sword from his back. It had an eagle designed hilt with a black leather handle spotted with gold. He said, in a gritty voice, "What do you want, Sheikah? I thought I destroyed your race! You are sand in my shoe! Why must you return?"

"I've come for the sword you now wield. It was my father's, and before that his father's and his father's before. It is rightfully mine, and I will take it from you, willingly or not."

"This sword?" Deimos cackled demonically, and gave the closest to a smile a skeleton could. "Then I must have killed one of those. It is mine now, and you won't take it from me!"

Sheik whipped his hand into his pouch and threw six needles at the Stalfos, all deflected easily with Slahinyr.

Sheik drew his katana lightning-fast and lunged at Deimos with invisible speed. But even that was deflected by the powerful sword. Deimos counterattacked, trying to sweep the sword along the back of the Sheikah's calves, but she jumped over him and attempted to bring his blue katana down on his head. This was also blocked, as Deimos turned and swung the sword upon the katana with unmatched speed. Sheik recoiled, giving Deimos the time to clash the sword up against the katana and into the wall behind Sheik, where it stuck ten inches into the stone.

Deimos cackled again, but Sheik was prepared for this. He pulled his whip from his waist, and with lightning movements whipped the sword from Deimos' hand, spun a three-sixty, and drove the sword through the Stalfos' skeleton jaw and out the top of his forehead. Sheik yanked Slahinyr away, shattering the front of Deimos' face, and then kicked his broken corpse into the far wall, shattering his bone body and cracking him to oblivion. Sheik did all this in one smooth movement, no hesitation.

Sheik took up the dust-covered Slahinyr from the shattered bones, and wiped it off. He strapped it to his back, right over the blue katana's sheath, which was filled with a dented and dinged katana after a moment of pulling. He then walked out of the room back through the secret staircase from which he came.

As he came back to the front door, he was very glad he had locked the door, which was now being battering-rammed. Sheik guessed that they must have sensed the death of their general.

At that moment, Sheik remembered the trap-door on the stairs, and turned the small iron handle in the very middle of it. Finding it was locked, Sheik broke it with the katana, and jumped out, not bothering to use the stairs. As she reached the top, however, the heard the main doors shatter with the screams of many Moblin and Lizalfos as they charged up the narrow staircase to the trap door. As the first Moblin reached the top of the steps, a blue katana blade was thrust through the top of his skull, through the glossy black basinet.

Sheik jumped to the top of a parapet, while throwing poison darts at the squad of two Moblins and a Lizalfos. Sheik leapt away as the three monsters fell dead. Many more monsters poured onto the rooftop with Sheik seemingly vanished, and the Zelda half of Sheik had to snicker a little and their puzzled grunts and hasty footsteps.


	5. Chapter 5: Set in Stone

**Hooray for more chapters! This one took longer to write, but it's still good. I may not own Zelda, but I can still write about it!**

**Chapter Five**

_Set in Stone_

Link jogged to Lake Hylia after waking up in Hyrule Castle three days after coming to home, to Hyrule. He had forgotten much in the four years he had been gone, and it took him a moment to remember where the first of the Stone Guards was hidden. But after standing in thought for a second, he dove into the lake.

He swam down to the bottom of the lake, and, though he could not see much through the blurred water, he found a strangely colored rock, an odd, but natural looking, lime green. Link kicked it slowly through the water's thickness, and he instantly vanished.

The next thing he remembered was falling on a black stone floor from a few feet up, and then he remembered the place. He hid the Goron's Ruby here, in case Gannondorf escaped. Link knew Gannondorf had discovered this place. If he had no need for the Master Sword, he must have become very powerful.

Link remembered very little of that place, but he remembered being there before. He got up, to discover that this was a very small room, with a single stone door in front of him.

He tried to pull the door open, but it wouldn't budge. So he jammed his sword into the crack between the two halves of the door, and yanked it. The door shot open, and the sword wasn't even scratched. _This is a much stronger sword than I thought,_ Link thought as he walked into the next room. In it, there was a door to his left, and a large stone wall that went up about twenty feet in front of him. It had many gashes in it, like the footprints of an animal. There was no way to get past this, so he went through the door.

As link entered this room, he heard the familiar sound of metal scraping against rock. He turned around, and there were bars in front of the door, and on the door on the other side of the room. In the middle of this room was a giant, grey-green translucent pillar going from the floor to the ceiling. It had huge grey-green rock-like tentacles halfway up, and on each side of it was an Iron Knuckle wielding huge hammers.

The first thought that ran through Link's mind was of shock; and then, to stab through the pillar. However, when he tried this, his sword bounced of its rock-like hide, and his torso was hit cleanly by both Iron Knuckle hammers. He fell back against the barred door, and coughed up a clot of blood. He felt his spirit dying, and his last thought was of Zelda. But as he thought of her, he felt her thinking of him, and the Triforce of Wisdom strengthened him.

He rose, and still felt weak. The Triforce of Wisdom was working in his heart, and he sensed a connection between the Iron Knuckles and pillar. Before he knew what he was doing, he was standing before the one to the left of the rock-pillar. It tried to bring its hammer down on Link's head, but link rolled to his right and slashed across the monster's calves. It fell to the ground, and link drove its sword through its back.

As the Iron Knuckle fell, the Pillar tinted red, and gave a cougar-like cry. While it was red, Link chopped his sword at the tentacle to the right, and bright-green blood spurted from its end, and it gave the same cat-like cry, but louder.

Link approached the second Iron Knuckle, and it swung its hammer at him horizontally. Link ducked down, and his hat lunched across the room and into the wall, where it fluttered to the ground.

While Link was ducked, he thrust the sword into the Iron Knuckle's stomach. It fell to its knees, and Link cut off its head. The pillar gave a cry again, and turned first red, then blue. Link cut of both the tentacles in a figure eight, cut it in half, and plunged the sword into it. It spurted green blood from all its wounds, and it fell sideways, and then deflated on the ground as the blood came.

Link walked through the door behind it. It was bright-blue steel, with gold, sharp designs on it. In the next room was a single chest, decorated much like the door he had walked through. When he tried to open it, however, he found it locked by a gold lock set in its exact middle. He drew his sword, and drove his sword into the lock with all his strength. It sunk into it, and a bright-blue smoke-like substance came from it; it shot open, and the room was filled by a blinding yellow light. But when Link looked into it, he could see in it anyway.

He reached into the chest, and pulled out blue-and-gold gauntlets. When he put them on, blue, curved knives shot out of the backs of the gloves. At first he was puzzled by this, but then an idea flashed through his mind.

Link ran into the room where he fought the Tentacle, and into the room before it, with the wall. He examined the cuts in it, and stuck the knife on his right hand into a cut on the left. It bounced off the cut, like it was covered by glass. So he tried sticking his left knife into the cut on the left, and it fit fine, like they were keys, and the cuts were locks.

It took him a moment to climb it, and when he did, he lamented that he had come at all. Down under the wall, were two grey green pillars, and surrounded by each one were five Lizalfos, wielding wicked glossy-black scimitars with cobra-heads on the hilt.

As his thoughts traveled away from the knives on his hands, they sunk back into the gloves. He noticed this, and the knives came back. As he thought about it, the knives shot out and sunk in. He hoped only that this would help him with the Lizalfos.

He drew Slahinyr, and as he did so, the Tentacles heard the scraping of his sword against its sheath, and all the Lizalfos looked up and hissed, so symmetrically it seemed mechanical. They had no minds of their own.

Link jumped from the top of the wall, and all ten of the Lizalfos were engulfed in smoky shadow, and their skin turned a wicked purplish-black. They all hissed again, perfectly symmetrical, and all ran at Link, with their scimitars outstretched, at an inhuman speed.

Link barely had time to duck, and the Lizalfos' bodies seemed to trace themselves in a black shadow. As they passed, Link cut the leg off one. It fell backwards towards him, and its head fell on the blue knife from Link's right gauntlet. He shot its fallen body towards another one, all of which had now turned around, and the body fell on the one in the middle and knocked him back five feet. He jumped up, with the body still on his chest, and the body evaporated in a black smoke. The nine that lived hissed mechanically, and surrounded Link

They charged symmetrically again, from all directions. But as they charged, link cut off one of the Lizalfos' scimitar blades from his hilt (still surprised at the strength of Slahinyr), and cut it in half, to the growl of one of the Tentacles. As the Lizalfos' halves fell to the ground, four of the eight surviving seemed to hesitate. Link noticed this, and drove Slahinyr deep into one of the Monsters, then pulled it out and tore it across another frozen one's chest. They both fell dead, and the Tentacle, with a cry, turned grey, and six Lizalfos again hissed mechanically.

The monsters fell back and hen surrounded him again, and all attempted to bring their scimitars down on Link, who brought Slahinyr through one's neck and avoided the scimitars through the hole in the ring he had made.

Now the other Tentacle flashed red, and four of the five surviving Lizalfos hissed and leapt on Link, who rolled under them and brought Slahinyr through one's back, throwing him to the ground. Then he cut off one's leg and thrust Slahinyr between its ribs.

The Tentacle screamed louder than Link had yet heard, and turned lime green. Link fell to his knees and covered his ears, screaming in pain. He dropped his sword with a clatter on the ground, and one of the Lizalfos, all of which were unaffected, took Slahinyr and threw it into the wall behind him, then turned and gave the screaming Link a wicked smile. He raised his scimitar to decapitate Link, but just before the scimitar reached his neck, he looked up and rolled behind the Lizalfos, and, from the ground, kicked him in the back. He fell to the ground, roughly throwing his scimitar, and Link caught it and stabbed the Monster through the back, splitting his spine.

Link now felt like his ears were bleeding and he knew he didn't have much time before passing out. He tried to hack through one's ribs, but it was caught by another scimitar. The Lizalfos, in a superhuman strength, threw Link across the room and into the wall, next to Slahinyr. Link didn't even know if he could move.

The Lizalfos came upon him and raised his scimitar, but before it reached him, he stabbed the Lizalfos under its ribs (Link was lying against the wall, and the Lizalfos towered above him) with the scimitar while pulling Slahinyr out of the wall and hurled it at the screeching Tentacle, both at the same time.

The screeching was silenced, and the Lizalfos fell to its knees. The Tentacle fell sideways and deflated.

Link was now, for the first time, aware of the other Tentacle and last Lizalfos. He approached the Lizalfos with the black scimitar, and it hissed loudly. Link couldn't hear much, and he had the worst headache of his life. The hiss was like murder.

He attempted to stab the creature, but it was blocked with superhuman speed. Link counterattacked and sliced the sword through its back, cutting halfway through its spine. Link now flung the scimitar at the Tentacle, which ripped from the ground and was nailed to the wall, and deflated.

The black, coal-like brick walls of the room were now stained with green and purple blood; the red Hylian blood from the back of Link's head stained one part of the wall, where the Lizalfos threw him in the screaming. He picked his sword from the deflated Tentacle, which was also now stained in green blood, and wiped the wretched-smelling stuff on one of the Lizalfos' black leather jerkin. The room jerked and swiveled, and Link was sure he was concussed. But he knew he had to keep moving.

Then Link noticed a pillar of light in the middle of the room. Gold, dust-like particles moved around it like a hurricane. It made a laser like noise, and then was gone. Where the pillar was stood a little brown treasure chest, with gold designs. He walked to it despite the movement of the room. He managed to kick it open, and inside was a little blue orb with what looked like lightning inside. He pulled it out, and put it in a little brown leather pouch on his belt.

On the other side of the room from the wall was another bright-blue door with gold designs, and presently Link walked through it.

On the other side of the door was a fork in the black path, one going left and one right. Link walked through the left one, and walked for a moment in that direction, when he was plunged into a pool he hadn't seen. After a moment, his head raised above the water, gasping for air. At once he noticed that the water was bright blue, and then he noticed that the corridor had stopped swiveling. He felt the back of his head, and there was no longer a wound.

Link looked towards the direction in which he was moving, to find that it reached a dead end after the pool. He looked down into the water, and saw bubbles coming from a nook. He took a deep breath, then plunged back down into the water.

He released some of his breath, and sunk deeper into the blue water, to the nook where the bubbles came from. In the hole, he found, was an octorok, with fierce eyes already targeting Link

Link had lost his shield during the time he had spent in Termina, and didn't know how to fight an octorok without it.

Before he had time to fully contemplate this, a boulder was flung from the octopus' mouth towards his head, and, out of impulse, drew his sword and struck the rock, cutting it flat in half and causing a small series of explosions, like a string of firecrackers. This caught the octorok by surprise, giving Link the time to drive the sword through the monster's round mouth. A black ink came from its throat, and then it was gone in a puff of black smoke.

Now Link thought he would soon suffocate, and swam quickly, almost frantically, through the dark underwater passageway, to find himself tumbling out of the water and onto dry land. He looked behind himself, discovering that the bright-blue water ended suddenly in a wall of liquid. Link got up from where he fell and approached the liquid wall. He stuck his hand through it, and it acted like water pulled by gravity. He pulled his hand out, and it was dry.

He turned back around, and saw that there was another blue-and-gold door in this passageway. He walked through it, and on the other side was total darkness. Then he remembered the lightning orb, and pulled it out of his pouch. Its blue glow was dim at first, but then shot out a brighter beam that, in the dark passage, stung Link's eyes.

It worked like a torch, and Link shone it in front of himself, revealing an upwards ramp that lead on into darkness. Presently, Link began the ascent up the stone.

At the top of the dark ramp was a very large, dirty-iron looking door; with a bull-like skull on the front, and the stone in front of it was a dark turquoise, with the same bull's skull in the color of the rest of the stone. Link tried it, but it was jammed, or locked.

At this point, Link noticed that, on each side and above it, were three half-circles cut in to the door, with lightning in one, fire in another, and, in the last, a vast stone forest. As he looked at these, they seemed almost to move, the lightning flashed, the fire danced, and small creatures almost seemed to hurry through the forest. Then Link shook up, as if waking up from a dream.

Now Link noticed that there was a staircase spiraling downwards to the right of the door. He reached the bottom, to what looked like a dead-end. But as he approached the wall, it opened in the middle and fell into the parallel walls to Link's sides.

Link cautiously entered this room, and felt eyes on him the second he entered. Behind him the stone shut back with a slam, and iron bars covered it and the door across the room from him simultaneously.

On each wall of the square room, a small section of stone opened up, and large, brown, tarantula-like creatures, about four feet tall, with huge, nasty pincers about two feet long came out of the back of their heads, with orange liquid barely managing to ooze from the tips. They gave hisses like a great cat with the opening of their huge fangs. They ran towards Link, and when they were about fifteen feet away, a ring of fire spread around them, and Link drew Slahinyr.

When the first of the two reached him, it shot out a pincer horizontally at Link's side, but the tip of the dagger was cut off by Slahinyr. But where the tip of the pincer had fallen grew a web-like outline of where it was, and it was slowly regenerated, a gristly bone growing from more of the web substance, then muscle, then blood, then black skin, then finally mangy brown hair.

Link gasped in surprised, but the creature was apparently in pain from the losing of its limb, and jumped back, while the other attacked. It leapt at Link while his back was turned, but he ducked before it hit him and fell on its back. It turned over in a fluid movement and hissed before jumping at Link's calves, but two of its long legs were sliced off before it reached him. It hissed and jumped back, and its legs regenerated just like the other's pincer. It, too, acted wounded however, and the other one leapt at him.

Link again moved out of the way, but this time, instead of just falling, it tumbled into the ring of fire that surrounded them. It screamed much like a humanoid and ran around the room like a chicken with its head cut off before curling its legs and pincers inward and rolled to a stop, where the fire slowly consumed it and left it ash. From its corpse fell a red orb like the blue one, but filled with a blazing fire that glowed deeply. Link would come back to that when the other spider was defeated. _So, they are vulnerable to fire,_ Link thought as he turned to the other arachnid, whose eight eyes had also been following the blazing spider. It hissed, and began to spin a cyclone of web around Link, navigating it with its long pincers.

It was soon a wall around him, rope-thick, and when he tried to cut it, it acted like steel. When he tried to climb it, it stuck to his hands and cut him when he pulled off. So, as a last resort, he threw his sword between the web strings, and into the fire. The flames exploded outwards, and a spark caught the web, which disintegrated lightning-fast.

The spider dropped on its back from where it had been mounted on the webs, and hissed again. Link drew Slahinyr from the stone where it landed, burning his hand in the fire a little.

The spider jumped at Link, poison pincers outstretched, ready to tear Link apart. Link drew up Slahinyr, barely fast enough to pull it in front of the pincers. The spider hissed, louder and more terrible than ever.

Link was surprised at the strength of the spider, one second almost overpowering him, the next almost overpowered. At the last second, just before the spider overcame the youth, a single drop of the orange liquid dropped from the pincer to his arm. It burned him intensely, drawing blood. But it set a nerve off, like being electrocuted, and his arm shot out and became stiff for a split-second. The spider was thrown off, into the fire. It screamed, and became black ash. From it fell another orb, this time green, with what looked like a miniature forest inside, vast and filled with its own creatures and plants A treasure chest appeared in the center of the room, and the ring of fire was evaporated, leaving a trail of smoke as it vanished clockwise.

Link approached the blue chest with gold designs on it. He opened it up, and it again shot out a laser-like beam of light what made the room look white. Inside was a large key, with the skull of a bull on one side. Link remembered the door decorated with a bull's head and the half-circles, and hurried back to grab the two orbs left next to the piles of ash, and rushed back to the door.

When Link reached the door, he again examined the three stone half-circles. They matched the stones perfectly. He pulled the lightning stone from his pocket and, hesitatingly, put it in the matching half-circle. Light poured from the orb, almost filling the room with its glow. He took the fire stone from his pocket, and put it in its matching circle, and it and the lightning orbs glow seemed to intensify. Link pulled the forest stone from his pocket and put it also in its matching circle. All three of the orbs' glow became even brighter, making the dark grey brick walls appear white.

Just above the orbs, some of the blue in the wall faded away, leaving a keyhole in its place. Link put the large, bull-headed key into it, and the room flooded with a blinding light. When it faded, the door was gone, and in its place was an arch in the wall, leading into a large, octagon-shaped room. When he entered it, iron bars slammed down into the ground under the arch, and more slammed from side to side across it. Link drew its sword, and the wall across from him opened up.

**Remember to read, forget to review. Wait, no, review too. Whatever. As long as you read.**


	6. Chapter 6: Relics of the Hero

**Hello peoples of the world! Sorry this chapter took so long, but I've been having troubles with my computer lately. But here it is, and I think it's pretty good. You decide, when (if) you review… please?**

**Chapter Six**

_Relics of the Hero_

Zelda played the last note of her song to Link, realizing that he was in deep sleep. She put her hand on his warm, sleeping cheek. "Goodnight, Hero." She smiled at him, but her heart ached. She hated to leave him here. But she hardened her heart, and strode out of the room.

She snuck out of Hyrule Castle through her Courtyard, the same way Link had snuck in all those years ago. She chuckled as she made an internal note to make sure the guards watched more carefully in the future. The second he was outside the Castle Gate and out of the guards view, a flash of white light surrounded her and, just as before, Sheik stood in her place.

A few minutes later, he was, again, just outside Hyrule's jail. He planted one foot on the gray stone wall, and pushed off. His hand flashed to the whip at his side, which caught the gutter at the roof. He swung up to the roof, and the padded soles on the bottoms of his feet landed silently on the red, metal shingles of the prison roof. He then walked in a crouched position to the skylight of Kaahshi's office, with the warden herself inside, going through the bottom drawer of a filing cabinet. Sheik silently opened one of the panels in the skylight, and dropped in. She landed in a crouched position just behind Kaahshi, ever so silently, and said, almost in a whisper, "What are you looking for?"

But Kaahshi was not easily startled. "Hello, Sheik. Putting your _hero_ to bed?" She giggled, then pulled a folder from the filing cabinet and closed it with a _thupathupa clack!_

Sheik crossed his arms, and his sandy-blond eyebrows furled. "Shut up. I don't get what Zelda sees in him. He's just a… peasant."

Kaahshi then tossed the folder on the wooden desk with a marble top. Her brown eyes turned to Sheik, and she smiled. "Well then, maybe it's just for his eyes." She pointed at the folder, and then said, "You may want to take a look at that."

Sheik looked at Kaahshi, then at the folder. He picked it up and opened it, and even through his bandage mask you could tell he was frowning. "Scimitar of thorns?" For that was what was held in the folder. There were several Pictograph photos of a dungeon like area, of cracked and moss-covered stone.

"Yeah," Kaahshi said unsurely as she turned back to the filing cabinet; her fiery-red hair with brown streaks whirling behind her. She opened it up again, and while her eyes still scanned the folders, she said, "They say it's the only weapon that can harm the sorcerer Agahnim, in the same way that only the Master Sword can harm Ganon. While the Master Sword is a sword that gives light, the Scimitar of Thorns unleashes only shadow."

"Sounds like my kind of weapon," Sheik said as he scanned the folder. Kaahshi threw another onto the desk. "That'll give you all you need to reach it." Sheik dropped the first folder back on the desk, and picked up the second. Inside were more pictograph photos, of two small statues. They seemed to be made of gold, but it was hard to tell in the black-and-white pictures. There were notes about them, and parts of journals of the privileged few who had seen them, and the coordinates in which they were located. These were all held together with a paperclip, to the right of the photos. Above all this were the words, in large, dark print, **RELICS OF THE HERO**.

Sheik said, as he took the whip from his side, "The next time you see me, I'll have them in hand." His whip caught the skylight, and he swung out.

Meanwhile, Gannondorf paced his office, his eyes moving swiftly, his hands behind his back.

A Moblin ran clumsily into the room, and, in a gruff voice, exclaimed, "Mail sir!" then stood at attention on the opposite side of the large, coal door from the usual guard.

Gannondorf read the letter, and while he read it, his teeth clenched, and his bright orange brows furrowed. He was the essence of terror.

_**You're majesty:**_

_**I am very disappointed to announce that the Sheikah has reclaimed Slahinyr, with the help of the Hyrule prison warden. Not only that, but in the process he has killed your most powerful general, Deimos.**_

_**Many apologies,**_

_**Agahnim**_

"What!" Gannondorf exclaimed, causing the Moblins to cringe in fear. The room seemed to darken. "Kill them! Kill them both! The hero and the princess, watch them die! And… kill the warden. Slowly, painfully." He cackled. The back of his hand was suddenly consumed a fire of shadow, and as his evil grin spread on his face, the letter burned the letter to white ash.

Sheik quickly found the coordinates to the first of the Relic Catacombs. They were in Kakariko Memorial, the graveyard off to the side of Kakariko village. He looked at the exact location on the map, and then looked at its location on the ground. He frowned, and looked again. Where the map ended, was the grave of a great Sheikah hero who traveled through the darkest of dungeons for the evolution of Hyrule, a change he would never see.

Sheik didn't understand. How could this be wrong? This would lead to failure! He couldn't save Hyrule without what was meant to be there. He thought of what would happen… if he failed. Perhaps he already had. His hands clenched to fists, and he kicked the headstone with all his might. But it did not shatter as he expected. It only moved and inch back, revealing part of a hole in the ground.

This surprised Sheik, but not for long. He smiled, unnoticeably through his mask, and pushed the stone with all his might. It moved another inch back, and then another. Soon a hole had grown large enough for a human to fit through. Just a he stopped pushing, a black cat meowed and rubbed against Sheik's feet, then jumped into the hole. Sheik rolled his red eyes, and jumped in after it.

This was one of the most terrifying things Sheik had ever witnessed. He fell for a very long time. Then the ground began to approach, and he fell closer at an alarming rate. Just as his nose touched the ground, he was surrounded in mist, and behind that was nothing but black. Infinite, infinite, black…

The next thing Sheik knew, he was standing upright on the same ground that he had just fallen to. The walls around him were of a coal-black rock, and large, intricate, nightmarish spider webs hung on the walls. Sheik couldn't see any more than a yard in front of him, but to his sides and back were naught but black stone.

He drew his sapphire katana slowly, and scanned the darkness in front of him for any sign of an enemy. He couldn't see anything. So he took a step forward, katana still in hand. But the second his foot touched the ground, the darkness in front of him faded, and a garden was revealed. It was like paradise. The grass was a perfect forest green, and apple trees grew along a garden path compiled of stepping stones. Birds chirped and chased each other above the Warrior's head. Groups of purple butterflies gathered in the shade of the trees. There was a blue sky above Sheik, with but a few wisps of clouds. The black cat, that had seemed so threatening in the graveyard, now looked adorable. It purred and rolled in the beautiful grass, toying with the butterflies.

However, little did the Sheikah Warrior foresee that this heaven was about to become hell.

The black cat finally noticed Sheik, and its cute look went away. It made a hissing noise from a wide open mouth, and leapt at Sheik. Halfway through its jump, it became a menacing beast, a great black panther of unbelievable size. It was ten feet from the tip of its tail to its nose, and rose six feet above the ground. Sheik blocked quickly with his katana, but it did not stop the panther. Sheik was knocked to the ground, and the katana barely held up. Its claws were pushed with incredible force against it, and its face was but two inches from the Warrior's, and it growled.

Sheik glanced away from the panther's face, to see that the two singing bluebirds had become ugly ravens with a wingspan of five feet.. The butterflies became wasps the size of your fist, and the green venom dripped from their stingers. They buzzed like machines, perfectly monotonously; they had no souls, no minds; just cruelty and rage.

Sheik threw the panther off of him, and held the katana above his head, the tip face behind her. He performed a back-flip in the position, cutting one of the ravens cleanly in half. Black smoke shot from its insides, and the body evaporated.

The Warrior front-flipped and landed in a crouching position, directly in front of the Panther. It was surprised by this action, and jumped up on its hind-legs. Sheik twirled from his crouched position with his katana flat in front of him. It hamstrung the panther, and it fell backwards. Sheik jumped up, did a cartwheel, and attempted plant the katana between the Panther's ribs, but it caught the blade in long, black claws. It pushed the katana's hilt back into him, and he was pushed back into a tree behind him. But he jumped up and pushed one leg off the tree and over behind the panther, who jumped out of the way as only a cat can. But Sheik could not stop the katana's movement, and it was pushed deep into the ground. When this happened, one of the several wasps plunged its stinger deer into the Sheikah's arm. The venom in him was visible from the skin, and it slowly spread outward like a web. As the wasp attempted to pull the stinger away, its intestines stayed on the stinger, and in vanished in black smoke. But the venom kept moving.

The panther, although one leg was alarmingly wounded, it still moved fast and mercilessly. It jumped at Sheik, with less force than the first jump. Because of this, the katana caught on its left forepaw, and it jumped off quickly, growling angrily and rolling in the green grass. Sheik brought the katana down sharply on the panther, and it didn't have time to resist. It pierced it's neck and, just like the Raven and th Wasp, it evaporated in a puff of black smoke.

Sheik twirled the katana in his hands, cutting one wasp in half. He then spun in a circle, cutting another wasp in half, horizontally. They both evaporated in black smoke. He pulled the whip from his side and held it in his left hand, his katana in the right. He tied a wasp with the whip, and swung it into the Raven. The venomous stinger landed perfectly in the Raven's neck. Just before the Raven evaporated like the other creatures, Sheik pulled the Wasp away from the Raven. But the stinger stayed in the Raven's neck, which had now evaporated, and it disemboweled the wasp, causing it to evaporate as well.

Still four Wasps remained, but they were easily dealt with, taking the venom of four poison needles. They too were destroyed in a puff of black smoke. Sheik rolled up the whip and hung it on his side, then sheathed the katana in its scabbard on his back. He had killed nine vicious beasts in a beautiful garden, with a blue sky above and green grass under his feet. However, the venom was still spreading. It had reached Sheik's wrist on one side. He quickly cut off some of the bandage that made his mask with the bloodstained katana, and tied it around his arm to keep the venom from spreading. He then wiped the sword in the grass and put it in its sheath as he kept moving.

He walked down the path to a large stone door, which opened when he approached it. On the other side of this door were the shores of the sea, covered in perfect yellow sands. In the perfect blue waves were beautiful, colorful fish, and crabs roamed the beach. The sun was setting in an enormous half-circle. The only noise was the waves washing in and out.

Sheik took a step forward and, just like in the garden, the dream became a nightmare. The crabs looked up at Sheik with eyes on the end of long stalks, and became bright red and green humanoids with claws and great, broad axes with almost Celtic-looking design on them, and a gold metal at the blade. Two of the fish turned into green creatures with red fins on the sides of their heads and red lips. The crab-creatures cautiously approached the Sheikah, who quickly drew his katana.

The first to reach Sheik raised his axe high above his head, and Sheik blocked above himself. But instead of bringing the axe down, it chopped across to Sheik's heels. The Sheikah barely dodged this, almost standing on the blade for a moment. Sheik then stabbed at the creature, but the blade only bounced off the thing's impenetrable hide.

Behind the monsters, sheik noticed the fish breathing in, and a yellow orb forming in their mouths. As they breathed in, gold dust was sucked into the orb. They exhaled, as if they were screaming, and the yellow orbs flew towards Sheik, who quickly jumped to the side as they whizzed past his head. Sheik took the whip from his side and drove it across a fish's face while it breathed in power, causing it to fall backwards and lose the orb to the water. As it got back up, then wrapped the whip around its neck, and drew it from the water, to find that it was much like a Zora. It was scalier, and its fin-like ears were a bright orange, as were its lips. The rest of the creature was green, and had large, slanted, pupil-less eyes.

The monster flopped on the shore like a fish-out of water, then fell silent, and held still. However, where it had sat a great whirlpool formed and another monster rose from it. It breathed in, and the yellow orb absorbed the light in the air. It shot it at Sheik, but he kicked one of the crabs, and it fell in front of the orb. When it hit, the crab froze in the air for a second, the disintegrated in yellow powder.

Sheik quickly wrapped the whip around the other crab's neck and threw it at one of the water creatures. It hit it directly in the face, and the fish was killed instantly in a puff of black smoke. The crab kicked and splashed for a few seconds, but then the whirlpool came again and the crab was sucked into it. The whirlpool ceased, as did the crab.

Sheik's red eyes lit up; he knew how to kill them. Another crab rose from under the sand, and the sand puffed around it like a fountain, and was then blown away with the wind. The crab pulled a golden war hammer from its back and raised it above its head, as the fish breathed in and an orb formed in its mouth. As the crab raised its hammer, Sheik rolled around it and kicked into the path of the orb from the ground. He then rolled to its side and kicked it again before it evaporated, into the fish. It, like the first fell into the whirlpool and was gone.

As it sank into the whirlpool, line eight feet above the sand stretched to five feet wide. It then fell down like a curtain, revealing a stone door with endless knots painted on it in red, which Sheik presently walked through.

On the other side of the door was a city of white brick, with a beautiful golden castle in the center. Every building, even the smallest cottage, was intricately made of the same stone as the city, with thatched roofs of straw. Citizens walked down the streets, wearing green tunics and green dresses, often staring at Sheik's strange garments.

The Warrior slowly walked down the street, looking at the city around him. The path he stood on was of a white marble, and several markets and buildings surrounded it. The city was crowded around him, but when he turned around, no one was behind him. So he looked back in front of him, and again, no one was there. The streets were empty, like they had never been inhabited.

Sheik began to walk away, but heard a groan behind him. He turned around, and ReDeads poured down the city streets. There was no way one man could kill all of them. Sheik turned and ran down the streets at a blinding rate, until he heard a bloodcurdling scream in front of him. He stopped short with a skid on the marble path, and in front of him was some kind of ReDead warlord. It was more than seven feet tall and its chest was five feet wide, and it wielded a great-sword with a blood red blade and wore blue and gold armor that had almost no weakness. It stiffened its arms and curled its fingers, and let out another great shriek. Its helmet was lifted up, and inside was naught but Blue Fire. It pulled a light blue rod from its side, which had a golden handle (covered almost completely by the Warlords hand) and a blue orb at the end. The orb was transparent, and had an icy core that looked as cold as death.

The Warlord swung this rod at Sheik, and although he was more than ten feet away, Sheik moved quickly. Where he had just stood, a foot high mass of ice now lay. He swung it again, and again Sheik dodged it. The Warlord shrieked, and swung the great-sword only a foot off the ground, and Sheik jumped over it. The Warlord was ready for this, and attempted to swing it down on Sheik's head.

Sheik rolled out of the way, but he knew he wasn't going to be able to keep this up for long. He rolled and ran toward a stable, where a white horse was already saddled and reined. Sheik jumped on it, and kicked it in the sides, with a "Hyah!" The white horse whinnied, and rode away.

The warlord again screeched, and brought the Great-sword down on the ground. The second it hit the ground, the warlord was riding a large, black wolf. It followed Sheik down the streets and out of the city, away from the ReDeads who had just caught up with them.

Outside the city gates was a large field, and a forest behind it. As Sheik rode across the field, masses of ice landed behind him, and he often had to swerve his horse to avoid them. Occasionally he looked back and threw a poison needle at the Warlord, but they ricocheted off the blue armor and barely budged its body.

Before he knew what he was doing, Sheik jumped of the back of the horse in a roll, and as he rolled he drew his katana and cut off one of the wolf's feet. It fell to the ground and evaporated in black smoke, and the Warlord rolled on the ground, and then jumped to its feet. It again swung the rod at Sheik, but he rolled around the creature and cut off the hand where the rod was held. It let out another horrifying shriek and grabbed its wrist in agony and green blood sprayed from its severed veins. It fell to its knees while Sheik grabbed the rod and swung it at the Warlord. It froze in place, crystallized in steel-like ice. Sheik cut off its head where the fire had been extinguished, and it fell solidly and without any movement. The frozen Warlord exploded in many shards of ice.

Now that he had some time, Sheik held up the Ice Rod in the light. He tucked in into his belt and ran swiftly back to the city. When he reached it, the slow-moving army of ReDeads was still waiting in the streets for his return. When Sheik approached it, he heard another groan behind him. More had come, and there were more than two-hundred around him. He began to freeze them one by one, but they closed on him to fast, and there were too many. He could not stop them.

Then Sheik had an idea, but the risk in using it was very great. _At this rate,_ he thought, _I am going to die anyway, so it's worth a try._ Sheik raised the Rod above his head, and swung it as hard as he could onto the ground. A wave in the ground was sent out from the Rod, and the entire army froze solid, then exploded in the same way the Warlord did.

However, where the middle of the gathering of ReDeads was, a golden key with the skull of a bull on one side hovered three feet off the ground. Sheik grabbed it, and as he did, a large, steel-looking door appeared in front of him with a large keyhole in the very middle of it. He put the key in it, and turned it three times. It opened to pitch-blackness, and Sheik walked through.

When Sheik walked through, he found himself on the top of a castle wall, without any railing or walls on either side to keep him from falling, in the rain. He took a few cautious steps forward and looked back. The door was gone.

Sheik then drew his katana. There was a cold presence here, a feeling so strong it felt like Sheik could hear it. The venom in his arm pulsed more strongly the closer the presence came, until it burned dreadfully. The pain almost seemed to fade, then came back incredibly strongly as he heard heavy breathing behind him.


	7. Chapter Seven: Magic Tapped

**So, a new chapter. I don't like this one very much, but it's okay. I also drew a picture for it, but it didn't show up in the Fanfic document. If you have any suggestions, put it in a review.**

**Chapter Seven**

_Magic Tapped_

Link took a cautious step forward, and drew Slahinyr slowly from its sheath on his back. He felt no presence, but he knew something, not something evil, but something terrifying, and waited for him here for a long time. As if this thing knew his thoughts, large, ruby red eyes snapped open in the hole in the wall across the room from him. They were the size of Link's entire body. Soon after the eyes appeared, so did a small glowing circle between and above them. Link knew what it was instantly: the spirit gem of fire, the Goron's ruby.

"Are you prepared, one who thinkss to be a hhero?" a voice hissed from the direction of the eyes. Link gulped, but pushed down his fear. "I don't understand." The voice laughed. "Oh, you will undersstand ssoon enough, hhero-to be…" A high-pitched roar rose from that direction, and what was once eyes in the darkness was now a huge stone scorpion, rearing like a horse. It shot a huge stone claw out at Link, who ducked barely fast enough to keep his head on his shoulders. They closed together with an ear-shattering _clack_ that erupted through the large room.

The claw then retracted, and the scorpion hissed. It was perfectly smooth aside from a few slats along its side, the Goron's Ruby in the center of its forehead, and a tiny hole at the end of its tail, from which orange liquid was oozing. This tail shot lightning-quick down at Link, who rolled to the side. The tail created a crater in the ground, and the stone around it seemed to turn orange in the shape of a web. Link was very careful to avoid this.

For a split second, the tail was stuck in the ground, but it was quickly yanked out. Both claws now lunged for Link, but he dropped on his back as they came and stuck Slahinyr into its right claw. It stuck an inch deep and Link was lifted off the ground by it. The scorpion hissed, the shook its claw until the sword came loose and Link fell on his feet from a few feet up. It reared again with the same high-pitched roar, and stuck its tail deeper into the ground than before. A larger web of poison was thrust outwards.

Link, without thinking of the consequences first, hopped onto the tail as it was pulled from the ground, and was lifted high above the scorpion's head. It looked around puzzlingly for a second, and its tail twitched a little. It quickly spun around in a circle and shot out a claw, which grasped nothing and was retracted. It looked puzzled again as Link slid down its tail, but it heard the noise and reared. Link could barely hold on, lying on his stomach with his arms around the stone. The tail came crashing down on top of the scorpion where it left a mark, but without any great damage. The poison spread, however, and moved towards Link. It burned through his tunic in one place, and began to dissolve skin. He quickly jumped up in a crouched position, clenching his teeth as the poison burned him. He raised Slahinyr high above his head and dug it deep into the scorpions back, again without causing any great damage.

The creature roared and shot out its tail three more times. Link could barely stand in between the lines of poison it produced. However, when the tail hit the third time, it stuck in the scorpions back and the tail pulled away. There was a great cracking noise, and the poison tip was separated from its tail. It then reared again, and Link was thrown off, with Slahinyr still in the scorpion's back. Link rolled to the ground, but a claw swept him up by his neck and lifted him close to the Scorpion's face. It gave a hissing laugh and said, without any mouth to move, "The stone is only for those that have proven to be a hero. You, child, will _never_ be a hero." The grip tightened on Link's neck, and he felt himself blacking out.

His eyes closed, and the gloves on his hands shot out their claws. He dug them deep into the scorpion's pincer and pulled them out just as fast. The scorpion dropped him, shocked. He rolled when he reached the ground and stuck the claws on his glove into the slats on the Scorpion's side and climbed to the top. When he reached that point, he pulled Slahinyr from the Scorpion's back and crawled along the creature to its head, and thrust the sword as hard as he could into the Goron's Ruby. He knew it wouldn't break, but a red light shot out from it. The Scorpion screamed, and said, "Hero… take the stone… you have earned it…" It crashed down like an exploding building, and Link fell to the ground. Shadowy smoke seeped from every crevice in its stone form, then began to eat away at it. In less that a minute, there was nothing left but the Goron's Ruby.

The Fire Gem now hovered three feet off the ground, and where the Scorpion was a circle of light stood. Link put Slahinyr into its sheath. He then took the Ruby from the air and held it up to the light. It shined through and Link was in side it, like a spotlight. He then walked into the circle, and his feet were pulled off the ground. He was lifted slowly, making his way nearer to the ceiling without any of his own control. Barely before his head touched the stone of the ceiling, he vanished.

The next thing Link remembered was lying on the shore of Lake Hylia. The Ruby was in a pouch on his belt, and Epona was nudging him awake. He patted Epona on the head, saying, "Thanks, girl." He was still very weak and light-headed, but he climbed onto her and yelled, kicking her in the sides, and they rode away back in the direction of Hyrule Castle.

Link reached the castle within the hour at the speed of Epona's gallop, but the trip felt like days. He trusted Epona knew where to go; he couldn't hold his head up. He was careful not to fall asleep, however.

Epona trotted through the castle gates and to the doors. Link was robbed of any strength he had had, and collapsed, falling off Epona. Two guards at the doors saw this as it happened.

"Goddesses!"

"Is that the Hero?"

"No, it can't be! The Hero can use sorcery to replenish _his_ energy."

"Still, he looks like him. We should bring him to the princess."

"But what if he's an assassin?"

"Assassins don't faint in front of castles."

The two carried him into the castle and dropped him in front of Zelda's door. One of the soldiers banged a gauntleted fist on it. "Requesting entrance!"

Inside, Zelda sighed. Guards. So… _professional._ "Come in!" She sat up on her bed as a guard shoved the door open and carried Link's collapsed shape through it.

"Goddesses!" Zelda whispered. One of the guards snickered and muttered, "That's what I said."

"Shut up!" the other guard whispered, then said, louder, "He was outside the castle. We thought you'd want to see him." Zelda put on a fake smile.

"Thank you. Return to your posts." They slammed the door back closed, and Zelda could hear their metal-clad feet clanging down the hallway. She approached Link's body. The rise and fall of his chest was barely visible. Zelda put a hand on his cheek and, finding it cold, gave a little moan and ran to a drawer at her bedside, from which she produced a small, glass bottle that was vase-like in shape, but it was filled with a blood-red liquid. She pulled the cork from the bottle and cautiously let a few red drops fall from the bottle to Link's closed lips. A little dropped down the left side of his face, and he stirred. His eyes fluttered open and looked into Zelda's. She jumped up and squealed, giddy.

"What? What's happening?" Link's first conscious words were slow and tired. He lifted himself up on his left hand, before it collapsed and he fell hard on his back. He took up shivering and rolled onto his side.

"Being alive is a good enough reason to be happy, is it not?"

"Well, I'm glad you're alive, Zelda," He whispered, and tried to cover is neck with his tunic, failing. Zelda pulled a blanket off her bed.

"No," he said, putting the blanket around him. He could not walk, and she could not carry him, so on he ground he stayed. "_You're_ alive! Do you remember nothing?"

"Well…" Link tried to get up again, but fell down again. He reached into a pouch on his belt and pulled from it the Fire Ruby. "I remember this… and a scorpion… or something… I'll remember."

"Stay still, I'll be right back." Zelda began to run gingerly towards the door, but as she reached it, Link's voice froze her in her steps and she looked back at him. "Zelda… The monsters… They used the same magic Gannondorf does…"

Zelda's eyes widened. "The _same_ magic? Are you sure?" Her eyes moved quickly around her feet, and then she looked back up at Link. "That's not possible… It can't be…" She ran through the door again, and this time Link successfully got up and followed her.

By the time he reached the room she was in (the Library), she was already drenched in old, yellowed scrolls and books that looked like if you touched them they would crumble. He put one hand on the door frame and rested his forehead on it.

She read through a scroll and tossed it back into the sea of them. "I had never seen their magic. I had heard of it, but never seen it." She flipped frantically through the pages of a book, then dropped it for another scroll Link said, half-talking, half-groaning tiredly, "Is he using Sages' magic?"

"How? He is not a Sage. There is no magic that has the exact same effects as ours. Unless… He's using ours…"

------------

The voice that came from behind Sheik was a chilling whisper, sending cold shivers down his spine. It laughed. "So many Sheikah have come here requesting the Relic of the Hero…" It laughed as thunder flashed. "You'd better be ready to die…" Sheik heard the scraping of metal as a sword was drawn behind him.

Sheik sensed what came. He rolled to the side as a beautiful, silver Greatsword came crashing down onto the stone, causing chips and layers of the bricks to explode wildly. Sheik quickly drew his katana and faced his enemy.

It wore a long, red, hooded cloak, with no face or legs to be seen. Blue rings of light hovered an inch above its wrists, covered in purple-black plate mail gauntlets with strange runes on them.

It also wore a large, diamond-shaped pendant, sky-blue in color, on a black chain around its neck.

Sheik gasped briskly, then flashed the colorful katana towards the Creature. It blocked as if its sword didn't weigh a pound. As the katana hit the Greatsword, the Creature stood stalk-still, where Sheik recoiled greatly. The Creature swung the sword a if to chop Sheik's ankles, but as it came she used the blade as a boost and flipped over the Creature. He was now facing the opposite direction of the Creature, and quickly spun and brought the katana up to hit Its back. The Creature brought the sword behind it and held the end of the blade with Its other hand, blocking the katana diagonally. It counterattacked with equal speed by spinning a one-eighty with the sword outstretched, but it was easily jumped over by Sheik. The Creature didn't stop moving though. It turned the sword around in its hand to point the blade at the ground, and brought it fast towards Sheik. Sheik quickly rolled away, but the sword sunk deeply into the solid stone.

The Sheikah used this small window of opportunity to slice at the Creature's wrists, but the katana ricocheted off the purple-black gauntlets. The Creature screamed a cackle loudly and drew the Greatsword from the ground effortlessly. It swung the sword in its hands and then chopped down where Sheik stood, but he back flipped as the blade came down and caused another explosion of shattered bricks. The Creature did not hesitate and swung horizontally, where Sheik's waist would be. He ducked, and the sword passed centimeters from the back of Sheik's masked head. He jumped up, now almost against the wall of one tower of the parapets, and the Creature did exactly what he wanted him to. It stabbed at where he was on the wall, but he jumped and pushed his left foot off the wall, jumping over the Creature as the sword dug deeply into the wall.

When Sheik began to land he swung the katana downwards onto the blue light around the Creatures left wrist. It shattered brightly as the Creature screamed, momentarily forgetting about the Greatsword buried in the wall. The glow of the pendant around its neck seemed to dim a little. Lightning flashed brightly as the Creature drew its sword from the wall. Its movements were a little more tired and slow, but it still moved incredibly fast for such a large weapon. It swung the sword down, which was blocked by the Sheikah katana. Sheik rolled around it and swung at its back again, but again it blocked behind its back. The Creature turned around fast and slashed as hard as it could at Sheik. He blocked, but it was to strong and the katana flew across the room and into the tower wall. Sheik tried to pull it out, but it was stuck too hard. He couldn't pull hard enough before the sword flashed at him again. He quickly jumped on the katana and the sword went under the colorful blade.

The Creature swung again, though, this time just above the blade, and Sheik had to jump quickly to avoid it. Lightning flashed. The Creature finally brought the point of the blade to the ground and swung up towards the blade Sheik stood on so precariously, but he jumped off as the Greatsword clashed with the katana. It came from the wall, shattering the stone and making a hole in the bricks where it had been pierced through.

The katana flew over the Creature and behind it, but it refused to take its attention from the Sheikah. As it closed in on Sheik, he rolled around it and picked up the katana. Using the Creatures trick against it, he slashed at the sword as hard as he could. It slid from the Creatures grip and stuck deep in the ground as lightning flashed. Before the katana lost the momentum from this blow, Sheik stabbed quickly down on the blue ring on its right wrist, shattering it. It screamed again and drew the Greatsword from the ground, but it now fought with it as Sheik himself would have.

It had been slowed, but it wasn't a weak enemy. It chopped down at Sheik's position again, slower this time, but it still caused bricks to fly outward. Sheik jumped to the side, then jumped in the air as the sword flashed under him. It stumbled as it stopped the blade's speed and it scratched along the ground. As one last attempt, it stabbed down at Sheik, deeply penetrating the gray brick. It had trouble pulling the sword out this time, and Sheik rolled around it and planted his feet firmly on its shoulders. Crouched, he dug the katana into the pendant around the Creature's neck. It shattered like the rings, but there was no plate mail over its chest. The shards of the destroyed jewel exploded through its body like shrapnel from a grenade. Sheik jumped forwards as the Creature was launched backwards, and it slowly disintegrated in red flames, whispering, "Master… I have failed you…" And then it was gone.

Something that looked like obsidian fell towards the parapet. Sheik took a few steps back, but before it shattered on the cold stone, it stopped abruptly. There it hovered, a few feet from the ground, and around it a bright blue ring of light grew

Sheik took a few cautious steps towards the thing. It looked like a knight on a horse that was rearing, his sword high in the air. It was, beyond doubt, the first Relic of the Hero. As Sheik took it, he stepped into the circle of light, and began to rise off the ground. Sheik had never experienced this before, but he understood. What he did not understand was the spinning. He spun slowly in a circle, making him dizzy, and then was gone.

He next found himself outside the first Relic Catacombs. He was first disoriented and nauseous, but he soon healed from this and made his stealthy way back to the castle.

When he was back in Zelda's room, there was a flash of light as he yielded his body to the princess. Just as she put the relic in a dresser drawer and sat down, tired, on er bed, two guards banged loudly on the door.

**Yup. I suck. Hope YOU liked it, anyway. That picture is pretty important, but no big deal. You'll still get the storyline, just without on foreshadowing. It'll work.**


	8. Chapter Eight: Carnival of Rust

Sorry this chapter took so long, but it was harder to write than my usual chapters. Anyway, I think the beginning of this chapter may be same of my worst writing, but the rest is some of my best, so that's cool. Also, I do not own Poets of the Fall's Carnival of Rust, just my chapter shares the same name as it.

**Chapter Eight**

_**Carnival of Rust**_

Kaahshi dipped her quill into the inkwell on her desk, signing on more paper in a million. She looked out the window, and sighed. A loud banging came from behind the large door on the other side of the room from her desk.

"In the name of His Majesty, open this door or it will be broken to splinters!" The voice almost sounded like a hiss. Kaahshi, thinking it was the King's soldiers, called back. "It's open!"

The door was broken off its hinges and at least twenty Lizalfos, in chain mail and brandishing bladed staves, shuffled into the room. Kaahshi looked down the hall behind them. Every prisoner had been killed.

She stood up abruptly, keeping her knuckles pressed tightly against her desk. She spoke between her teeth. "What do you want with me?" One of the Lizalfos grinned, a black tongue flashing silently between his teeth. Kaahshi drew a scimitar from a drawer in her desk, and the Battle for Hyrule prison began.

------------------------

"Good morning, Hero." Link awoke to Zelda's soft voice. She sat at a desk, still reading her many scrolls and books, while Link was on the bed in the guest room. He propped himself up on his elbow, and for a second, his eyes met hers. He saw something in her eyes he had not seen before, but he put it aside.

Link sat up in his bed tiredly, and then jumped off his bed and into his heavy boots, which lay next to his bed. He walked to Zelda's desk and smiled at her as he opened a drawer and took Slahinyr from it. He preceded to strap it on his back. Zelda frowned.

"Will you stay no longer?"

Link, still somewhat tired, sat on the desk and sighed, again looking into Zelda's eyes. "Zelda… you must understand. If I do not leave, the world may fall apart over night. Gannondorf will not stop. He will kill and torture and conquer until the world has perished in water and fire.. I cannot let this happen. _We_ cannot let this happen. _He must be stopped._"

Zelda sighed, and looked away. "You are right. To wait any longer would be to feed the reign of his evil. But… I wish I could help."

Link smiled. "Don't worry, Zelda. You will have a part to play…If you have not begun to play it already."

Link rode Epona to where the second Spirit gem was; it was not easy. His tunic was almost in tatters, held together only by straps of leather sewn hastily across burns. The skin under that was a nasty red-and black. Every bump and jostle seemed to tear his muscles apart.

He soon reached it, a bronze statue in Kakariko village of a knight on a rearing horse, its sword high in the air. Zelda would have found it familiar looking. Lines of blue-green rust poisoned the horse and rider from its hooves up, making it sinister and ominous.

Link had come across this kind of obstacle before, and knew what to do. He put his gloved hands of the plaque on the front, and pushed. It slipped, very slowly, backwards, and a bronze sheet, webbed with the same green rust, lay under it. When Link had pushed the statue far enough, he got to his knees and lifted off the cover. Under it was a square hole, barely large enough to fit through. Across the back of the cover he lifted off, words were written in blood, jagged and drip-dried.

Carnival of Rust

A chill snaked its way up Link's spine as he read it. An ominous feel came over him, and he began to reconsider, but dropped down the hole before giving this thought.

At first he fell fast, and then slowed down as darkness consumed his surroundings. Soon it was completely black, and he could see nothing. Then it began to brighten again, a slow and gold light from under him. His falling speed slowed to a crawl, and his feet lightly touched a dark orange bronze, riddled in rust, like green lightning striking from the walls to the center of the dimly-lit hallway. Its light, a strange gold, came from a tiny hole in the bronze ceiling. It shined around the hall, bouncing off every wall and floor, magnifying with each reflection.

Link began to walk forward slowly and carefully, and loosened Slahinyr in its sheath on his back. In front of him were bronze stairs, lined intricately with green rust, artistically giving signs of evil things ahead. Behind him was a huge talisman sticking an inch out of the wall, two feet long from one end to the other.

Link looked quietly at it for a moment, not moving, not even breathing. He couldn't drag his eyes away. The symbol seemed to engulf all his consciousness, consuming everything that stressed him, rushed him to finish his quest. He simply looked at it in silence. It seemed to make his heart split in half. One half hated the symbol, knew it must stand for something sinful and unnecessary. The other loved it, wishing Link would never look away.

Link felt his debating heart strongly and soon forced himself to turn around and walk towards the stairs. He took a step onto the first step, but the second he did the stairs began to spin, each step spinning individually. Under them were long, sharp spikes, rusted green and seemed to scowl up at Link as he began to grow dizzy. He jumped back off onto the ground, but the steps did not cease their spinning. The first clockwise, the second counter-clockwise, the third clockwise… there must have been thirty steps to the top.

Link stepped back onto the first step. He knew it wouldn't be easy. He began to spin, and the next step flashed across his view once… twice… thrice… eventually, in a fit of courage he jumped. After he did, his stomach hurt. He gagged, bending over a little, and put his hands on his aching middle. He was disoriented and sick, and then realized he was spinning in the other direction! After realizing this, his sickness faded. Then he jumped to the next step up, and crouched as he landed. He grabbed the edge of the revolving step, and then stood up cautiously. Slowly but surely, he climbed the stairs in this fashion. He reached the top soon to the sound of what should have been cheerful music, but instead it sounded eerie and ominous. It was played on what seemed to be a guitar or banjo, with the quiet sound of maracas behind it.

It was dark here. No light shot through the ceiling, no torches or lamps lit the room. He took a step forward, then another. One more step, and several colorful lights shot from the ground in front of him. On each one was a letter. R-O-Y-G-B-I-V. The beginning letter of each color. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet. These colors lit a pretty wooden door and a sign above it.

House of Memories

Link's stomach turned as he looked at the sign and door, seemingly plastered onto the rusty bronze wall. To his left was infinite darkness. The same covered his right. Behind him were eternally spinning steps. He opened the door and walked in.

Behind the door was a circular room. The floor looked like a tree trunk, covered in thousands upon thousands of rings. Link, feeling different, looked down at himself. His clothes were no longer ripped, his white pants had been replaced with green shorts, his white shirt under his tunic was gone, and he was two feet closer to the ground. "What the-" he shut his mouth abruptly. His voice was higher. He screamed, waking the plant to his left. From it sprouted a blue head, which licked yellow lips and lunged toward Link, who quickly drew the Kokiri Sword, much bigger than it had been. As the Deku Baba attacked Link, he held out the sword, and Link felt a particular strand of fear he hadn't felt since he was twelve.

The Deku Baba was moving too fast to avoid Links sword, held straight out towards the plant. Its mouth fell right on the blade, and a few drops of greenish water fell from its lips. It vanished it a white cloud, leaving only a twig, which Link picked up and shoved into his pouch.

He then focused his attention on the ladder that was behind the Deku Baba. It was made of a gray wood, and looked rickety. Link, feeling he had seen this place before, a long time ago, felt strongly that it would support his weight. So he put his foot on the first rung and his hand of the fourth, and climbed it slowly and cautiously.

Now came something he didn't feel he remembered. At the top of the ladder, instead of a higher balcony that followed the room across, was a hall of sandstone. He walked through this cautiously, his Kokiri Sword drawn. Presently he reached a large stone wall, full of cracks and holes, and two Bomb Plants, one on each end of the cracked wall. Link yanked one from the ground and threw it towards the cracked wall, while at the same time backpedaling hastily. The bomb exploded it a cloud of dust, and link covered his face with his forearm to keep it from his eyes. He uncovered him and the wall and dust were gone. Inside was a brown room, circular, with a hole in the middle going down twenty feet. At the bottom of this was lava. In the middle of this hole was a large, round pillar with a Beamos, a small obelisk with a rotating stone eye hovering an inch above it, in the center.

Link sheathed his sword and put his shield on his back, then walked towards the pit with the pillar in it and looked down into the lava. Its light seemed to make his face glow red, and he felt heat radiating onto his face from the liquid. As he looked down, a stepping stone that was more like a rod shot up from the lava. He jumped on it and onto the pillar in the center. The Beamos rotated slowly until it looked to where Link was, and a blue beam shot from its pupil. Link barely ducked fast enough to keep it from shooting between his eyes. He ran towards it screaming, Kokiri sword thrust out to his left, and swiped it right under the big eye, between it and the obelisk over which it hovered. It made a little squeak, but no damage appeared to have been done. It still slowly rotated until it looked at Link again, but he ducked before it had even shot. It caught a tiny glimpse of his hat, waving like a kite, just a second behind his ducking head. It shot a blue laser as smoke seeped lazily from its pupil, and stared in that direction for a moment, then kept rotating its slow pace.

Link, still crouched, looked left, then right. On both "corners" of the little platform were Bomb Flowers. Link rolled sideways in a semicircle towards one. His heart skipped a beat as the Beamos stopped its rotating and looked in Link's general direction, then kept spinning slowly. Link, with a little effort, pulled the Bomb Flower's big, blue seed from its leaves. He put too much force into pulling, and temporarily lost his balance. His hands, carrying the Bomb Flower, Shot up above his head. The Beamos caught a glimpse of this and shot another blue laser in its direction, barely catching the top of the Bomb Flower seed. It smoked and sparked, and link gasped and threw it at the Beamos. Its top hissed for a moment. A single lazy strand of smoke oozed from the top of the plant, lingered for a moment, then vanished as the seed exploded with a thundering _crash!_ Smoke filled up the little platform. Out of the smoke jumped the little stone eye that had spun atop the Beamos' lower structure. It touched the ground, bounced once, then rolled off the platform. It exploded just before it was consumed in lava. As the smoke cleared, Link coughed quietly and saw that all that was left of the Beamos was the shattered base of the Obelisk.

Link looked back at the Bomb Flower from which he pulled the seed, and another one grew almost instantly, with a strange _whump_. Then he looked back across the hole in which the platform lay, in the opposite direction from the one he came. There was nothing but a brown stone wall, one section of it cracked and dilapidated. Link picked up the Bomb Flower seed that had just regrown (watching another one grow instantaneously with the same strange noise. He got down on his stomach and lowered it as far as he could off the edge, towards the lava.

His hands felt like they were on fire. Every second that passed they grew more uncomfortable, like all the skin had melted of and all that was left was dry, cracked bone. Then a wisp of smoke came up towards links face from the Bomb Flower seed he held, then more. He began to see sparks drop into the lava and sizzle. He quickly jumped up and threw the seed (which had become as hot as red coal) as hard as he could at the wall and wrapped his black-streaked hands in the bottom of his tunic, moaning through his clenched teeth and shifting his weight from one foot to another rapidly.

The Bomb Seed exploded and revealed a long, dark passage. Link jumped onto another platform that jumped up from the lava below and walked slowly into it. Soon it got too dark to see, and he put his arms out in front of him. He walked slowly with his arms thrust in front of him, and his steps soon began to sink into the floor. Link's first thoughts were that he was stepping through mud or quicksand, but his feet came out too easily for that. Then he though it must be water, but there was no splashing when he stepped, and he didn't feel the resistance water creates against his legs as he walked. Soon it began to brighten again, and he saw that he was stepping into soft flesh. _Ugh!_ He thought disgustedly and jumped back, realizing that he had been walking in it for several yards He took steps slowly and cautiously with a grimace on his face.

The end of the dark passage came quickly. It ended in a ledge above a circular room that followed the wall across the left side. There were several harmless-looking bubbles floating randomly in the room and some jellyfish. Nothing deadly. Or so he thought, before he reached one finger out and touched a bubble. It seemed to push his body back and he was flat on his back before he realized the bubbles were dangerous. He, while still on his back, stabbed up at a jellyfish indifferently. The two halves floated slowly down, like two halves of a piece of paper on either of Link's sides.

Link jumped up quickly and instead of touching a bubble, swung his sword at it. A part of it folded over the edge of the blade for a moment, then bounced off. Then a jellyfish floated into his back, and he fell forward, then got back up and cut it in half. There were still three of those, and four bubbles. Link looked around the ledge, and saw two little wooden crates on the opposite side from him. He ran towards them, swinging his head left as a bubble floated by, then making a little hop to the right when two jellyfish got in his path. He reached the little boxes and threw one at a bubble. At first it had no effect on it, but it got crushed between the box and the squishy ground. Link saw clear liquid splatter from underneath the box, and smiled. He cut another jellyfish in half, then slapped a bubble to the ground with his sword, splattering it. The end of his sword barely poked into the ledge, and the entire room shook as Link heard a moaning noise.

This startled Link for a moment, giving a bubble time to brush up against his right shin. His entire right leg fell out from under him and he fell flat on his face while the bubble floated (_smugly,_ Link thought) past his nose. Link presently swatted it into the ground with his sword, then got up and stabbed a jellyfish. Now there was only one bubble left, and Link tossed the box at it. It splattered the same way the first did.

Link now looked for an escape from this room, besides the passage from which he came. He looked off the ledge, and there was a little floating platform coming slowly up. When it reached the ledge Link was at, he was it was made of the same squishy substance as the walls and floor, but it had several nasty purple thorns coming out of the bottom. He jumped onto it, being careful not to touch the thorns on the other side. It dropped slowly to the water under them, and Link jumped off and into the water before it had reached the end of its line.

His first thought as he jumped into the water was that it was unusually warm. His second thought was to watch out for that rock the Octorok in the underwater tunnel between him and wherever he was going, and he did so immediately. When it shot the next one, he swung his sword at the rock, and it bounced back at him. Link supposed that, since this sword was not as sharp as Slahinyr, it wouldn't cut the Octorok's boulders in half so easily. The boulder struck the Octorok between the eyes. It floated slowly into an upside-down position, and then vanished in black smoke. Link swam on through the tunnel it protected.

He swam up until he reached the surface of the water, then walked onto land, soaking wet, without looking up. When he did, he saw something he knew, and knew quite well.

Almost the entire room was dark. The only noise Link heard was the voice of monks, singing solemnly the tune of the Song of Time. A single spotlight of daylight came from the ceiling, and onto a little platform, with the Sages' Seals around the edge and two steps going up to it in Link's direction. In the middle was a little stone block, with a black triforce in the center. The Pedestal of Time. Stuck into it was the Master Sword.

_This is what I've been looking for all along!_ Link thought joyously. _It was so easy! But, why did this place bring me to the Temple of Time?_ As Link thought this, he realized he was already walking up the two steps to the Master Sword. He put both hands firmly on its hilt, sat for a moment with his eyes closed, then pulled it. He, and the Master Sword, immediately vanished.

When he reappeared, he did not have the Master Sword, just Slahinyr was strapped to his back. He was in a room made of bronze, webbed in green rust. In front of him were huge double-doors with a little sign that said "exit" across the front above it. With a little effort, he pushed them wide open and walked out, then heard them close shut with a huge _clang!_ He knew they would not open again. Ahead of him was a little bedside-table kind of platform, made of stone, as was the rest of the room. On it was a hand mirror that he almost recognized, but couldn't quite place it. It was a black metal, with rose designs along the handle and around the glass. It was beautiful and lightly sprinkled in dust. Link had a strange tingle in his stomach that seemed to tell him, "No! Don't touch it! Don't!" He walked slowly towards it and picked it up, feeling afraid to look at his own reflection. He closed his eyes and held it up to his face, then shot his eyelids open.

He reflection he saw was not his own.

Instead of his face he was that of the Fierce Deity, smirking at him, telling Link a thousand things he didn't want to hear without even opening his mouth. Then the reflection faded away, but Link's face did not appear. Link dropped the mirror on the ground and it shattered, but he took no notice. He didn't even feel that he had control over his own body. His feet lifted off the ground, and he felt another spirit invade his body, occupying Link next to his own soul. It almost seemed to devour his own soul, taking up all the power it had ever held. Link wanted to scream, but couldn't. Again the feet that had lifted up only a moment ago touched the ground, but the body was not Link's

It was the Fierce Diety's.

P.S. I'm still having trouble with pictures, which are rather important. You'll still get it, but not with as much fun. Whatever. If you know the answer, then when/if you review, put it in there. But, even if you don't, maybe review anyway?


	9. Chapter Nine: The Fierce Deity

**Sorry it took so long. I had a lot of troubles with my computer, and school started, and I didn't have time for awhile. But here it is, and better than ever!**

**Chapter Nine**

_**The Fierce Deity**_

The Fierce Deity laughed maniacally. His silver hair, shoulder-length and parted in the middle, was thrown back over his shoulders. His pure white eyes, surrounded by a dark red paint, were closed tightly. He raided his midnight blue steel-gauntleted hands above his head as he laughed. After a moment, his laughter ceased gradually. He laughed as he looked down at himself, and noticed something he had never seen before. On his midnight blue armor (between the steel was black chain mail), large in the center of his breastplate, was a huge, bright orange symbol.

"No matter," he muttered to himself. "I have my body back." He pulled the sword from his back. It was just as he remembered it. Two blades came from the golden hilt basket, one blue and the other green. They both made an S shape, intersecting each other, to make a figure eight shape. At the top the two blades met, forming a point. The hilt was of red steel, save where the blades protruded. A blood-red diamond was the bottom of the hilt, as sharp as the blade itself. He grinned at it, then rested it against his shoulder and walked on.

The pedestal on which the mirror had rested was in the center of the room; on each side of it were three steps, and a door on the other side of the room. It was made mostly of wood, but had intricate designs of bronze, much of which had rusted that same green rust, and some of it had just crumbled apart. The Fierce Deity shattered the door to bits with his Double-Helix blade, blasting the door inward, along with some of the surrounding wall. He heard Link's voice, faint as if far away, but clearly audible. "What are you doing? What do you want with me?"

The Fierce Deity, not even knowing if Link could hear him, said calmly and quickly, "Shut up. You're ruining the fun."

In the room behind the door was the same quiet music Link had heard in the room with the House of Memories. Above the door the Fierce Deity had smashed was a bronze plaque on the stone wall. Written on it in big, square letters, blood red:

HARM AND TORTURE ARE THE KEYS

TO YOUR CLEAREST MEMORIES

The Fierce Deity thought he had felt Link shudder within him as he looked at the plaque, then thought it must've been his imagination. Then he smashed the plaque out of the wall.

He walked forward into the stone room. He walked into a hall, the only exit from the little square room from which he had come, and it began to get dark. When it opened on the other side, there was a little track in a little square dip in the ground and several bronze cars (covered in the same green rust) all lined up and hooked together in a row. On the ground next to the dip in which the track sat was a bronze frame, like the skeleton of a house. It went directly above the cars and into the wall on the other side of the track from The Fierce Deity. It had bars going down into the ground on his side, to hold it up.

He muttered to himself, "What is this contraption?" He jumped onto the front car, grimacing. He saw there was a seat in it, but did not sit down. A little light shown on the frame just above the cars, where lit up words flashed "fasten your seat belt", then the cars launched ahead like a rocket.

The Fierce Deity, who was standing, had to look down to see the words, and when the cars moved, the frame hit him in the face and knocked him down, so that he laid along the first and second cars. He got up, a little dazed, and saw how fast he was moving, a little frightened. Inside, Link (who hadn't gotten hit on the head and registered their speed faster) screamed a short, abrupt scream, then yelled, "What did you do!"

"I don't know. Now _be… quiet!_ I don't like being reminded you're here."

He got up, but stayed in a crouched position on the second car, holding his right hand on the leather upholstery of the first car and holding his sword in his left hand. The cars suddenly curved left, and The Fierce Deity felt sick to his stomach. Then it climbed upwards and straightened again. The Fierce deity saw grooves in the walls, about as big as a closet. As they went past one, a Lizalfos with a black scimitar leapt from it onto the cars. It hissed briefly before its head was sliced clean off by the Double Helix blade. Its head fell into a seat near the back, and the body fell off the cars and bounced to a rolling stop far behind them.

Two more Lizalfos, both armed with the same black scimitars, jumped from the walls, one landing behind The Fierce Deity, and on almost missed and scratched onto the bronze cars for dear life. The Fierce Deity stabbed the Double Helix blade through the Lizalfos that had landed safely, then ripped it upwards though the upper half of its body, using its spine for guidance. Then he kicked what was left of it off the cars. He looked down at the one hanging onto the side of the car, grinned at him fiercely, and smashed the entire side of the cart he was holding onto off. The Lizalfos fell off the car, and the side of it fell on top of him, ensuring his death. The Fierce Deity watched him go, waving his hand as he did.

As he was doing this, another Lizalfos came quietly up behind him, and grabbed his silver hair. Before his scimitar could reach The Fierce Deity's throat, its stomach was met with The Fierce Deity's armored elbow. It backed up a step (it was a small step, as there wasn't much room to do such a thing), and was cut in half at the waist as The Fierce Deity spun around with the Double-Helix blade. The Deity laughed deep and maniacal as the top half of its body flew off the cart and the bottom half toppled to the ground.

Two more Lizalfos jumped onto the cars, on either side of The Fierce Deity. He looked from one to the other, grinned, and then cut off one's leg. It fell of the cars in a spurt of ugly, dark blood. He spun around with blinding speed and thrust the Double Helix blade between the Lizalfos' legs and brought it up through its body, cutting it in half.

Three more Lizalfos jumped onto the cars. One behind The Fierce Deity, one to his right, and one to his left. He quickly back flipped over the one behind him and stabbed him in the stomach, holding onto his blade's hilt for support as he twirled back around in front of it. Then he cut off the head of the one that was originally to his left, then spun and slashed the one originally to his right across its waist. He did this so fast that they were all still standing when he was done, so he spun in a circle in the middle of them all. The Double-Helix Blade dropped their heads from their bodies as he did so.

"This is almost too easy," he said to himself. Almost before he was done saying it, they reached a downwards hill, and The Fierce Deity fell over frontwards. The Double-Helix blade slipped his grip when he fell and stuck into the ground in front of the cars. They hit it, and it stopped suddenly, moving the Double-Helix Blade an inch or two from where it had landed.

Falling in front of the cars were six Stalfos Knights and two things The Fierce Deity (or Link) had ever seen before. They wore long robes of a dark red color, that were so thin that they were almost (but not quite) transparent. In their hoods were faces much like that of the Stalfos, but was red, like a hot coal, and seemed to glow as such. They wielded two scythes each, about three feet long. The blades were long and waved, like a snake, and also seemed to be transparent, but solid, like they were not completely there.

"Seems a little impossible…" Link said quietly in The Fierce Deity's head.

_What, are you listening to my thoughts? Keep your mind on your own mind!_

As they "thought" this, all eight creatures were lit afire by the black shadow that Link had seen all too often, but The Fierce Deity had never experienced.

_What just happened to them? What magic is this?_

"Sorry, I missed most of that," The fierce deity thought he sounded smug.

_I said, WHAT. ARE. THEY. DOING!_

"I thought you didn't like me to hear your thoughts."

_You're not helping. I'll find out myself._ He was angry now, and the Double Helix Blade glowed a little where it was in front of the train. The creatures began to run towards him at an unthinkable speed (the new creatures moving faster than the Stalfos), and The Fierce Deity jumped up on his hands and flipped over them. They whirled around and charged his new position, but he rolled around them and planted his hands firmly on the hilt of the Double Helix Blade. He tugged at it, but it didn't budge. He looked over his shoulder, and the creatures were turning around. He pulled again, with all his might, but it wouldn't move an inch. The Blade glowed hotter as he cursed it in his mind.

The creatures were too close now. The Fierce Deity hopped up onto the hilt of his sword, one foot on each side, and back flipped over the creatures as the scythes and warhammers made big dents and long rips in the front car. The Fierce Deity kicked a Stalfos Knight in the small of his back, and it fell forward, causing its hammer to knock the new creature in front of it in the back of the head, making a little rattling noise. The new creature turned around and sliced off half of the hammer's head as easily as a knife cuts through butter. While this was happening, the other new creature's head was brought to the ground by The Fierce Deity's armored boot. He could feel heat radiating through his armor even as he crushed its skull against the dusty ground.

The Fierce Deity picked up both scythes. He threw one at a Stalfos Knight as he cut another's spine at the base. As its upper half slid off, the other's head was tossed from its neck. He threw the other scythe at another Stalfos Knight, cutting off the top of its head and shattering the rest of its skull, then elbowed the other fire-red creature in the chest, causing it to fall over, and brought his left boot through the other three's heads, causing them to fall like dominoes in a little pile. While they got up, he tried the Double-Helix Blade again. It gave a little this time, and it lost a little of its glow. The Fierce Deity heard them raise with intense speed and approach him the same, and rolled onto his back to kick another Stalfos Knight to the ground, then used the momentum of the roll to jump up and onto its ribcage, which cracked like brittle clay under his weight. He had to move before the swing of the other fire-red creature had even begun to make its scythe swish unsatisfactorily inches from his silver hair. From his crouched position he tripped the fast-moving creature and grabbed one of his scythes out of the air as he fell, then spun and ran it through another Stalfos Knight's spine and then throw it into what was left of the last Stalfos Knight's teeth, shattering the lower half of its skull. Then he pulled the Double Helix Blade from the ground in front of the cars with one more quick tug, and tried to hack down on the fire-red creature. It blocked it in the concave of its remaining scythe, then spun in a flowing circle, ducking, and sliced cleanly through The Fierce Deity's shin armor. The large gash was clear, but no blood came. The Fierce Deity roared in pain even as he blocked another blow from the Fire-red creature's scythe. The blow from the scythe was low on the Double Helix Blade and was still pushed against it, letting blue sparks that were cold on the Fierce Deity's face. But as The Fierce Deity roared, the Double Helix Blade glowed like a lamp, and cut straight through the scythe. Then The Fierce Deity cut the Fire-Red creature in half vertically, then spun and cut it in half horizontally. As the four quarters of its robe fell and the bone began to cool, The Fierce Deity angrily chopped them into even smaller pieces.

When he was done doing this, he kneeled down to his shin, and laid one hand over the cut. The armor on his hand grew slightly thinner and the slice through his armor disappeared. He could still feel the cut on his shin, though, and it pulsed angrily under his armor.

The Fierce Deity walked for ten minutes; twenty; twenty five; he often began to wish the cars he had inadvertently destroyed were running, but then he passed a place where they would've gone upside-down or zig-zagged, and realized he no longer wished so. His leg grew numb, not so that he could no longer feel the pain, but like a biting your cheek. He reached a steep hill and dragged his wounded leg behind him. It hurt when he moved it, hurt more when he didn't… the idea of putting his weight on it made his shudder.

It made him dizzy. The steep corridor whirled around him like the inside of a tornado, and didn't feel much different. His stomach felt squeezed and liquidated, felt like it was being gargled in a giant's mouth. Finally his consciousness gave in, and he collapsed. His last thought was disappointment as he slipped back down the hill to where he came from.

--------------------

While Link's body was inhabited by The Deity, he felt only half-awake, or half-alive. Drowsy beyond pain or emotion.

Suddenly, he was completely awake, and lying on his stomach.. His eyes shot open as he felt warm blood running down his left leg, and his foot was scrunched like it had been the first part of him to touch the ground at the bottom of a steep hill. Which, he soon realized, was the case.

He turned himself over and slipped the last two feet down the hill. He put his left leg over his right and looked at the long gash across his leg. He _did this…_ he thought to himself. _But he's gone… Why? Was he killed? _He unwrapped the largest of the straps of leather holding his tunic together, and it fell open like a shirt with only the first button fastened. Then he wrapped it around the cut on his leg (_it feels cold,_ he thought as he did so. _What cut dripping warm blood is cold?_) and tied it carefully. Then he began to move up the hill, trying to keep that leg stiff out behind him, but found it hard.

After some time, he reached the top, sweating, tired. His leg itched absently. Much of his concentration was on trying not to tear off the leather strap, which was now bloodstained and felt hideous against his skin. When he reached the top, he heard a familiar witch's laughter, and knew what it meant. He drew Slahinyr and put his awareness off the strap and on his surroundings. He took ten more cautious steps, then twenty, but saw no more signs of what were most popularly called Wizzrobes. Then he heard the laughter again, and spun around quickly. His eyes searched the shadows diligently, but he saw nothing.

Suddenly he was on the ground, and his back was full of a nasty, burning ache. When it lasted longer than it should have, he realized the back of his tunic was on fire. He rolled onto his back as quick as he could, and it stung like only fire can, then was gone. He jumped up, and dodged another orb of fire from behind him by sound alone, but it shot past his ear and made it ring briefly. He spun and swung Slahinyr. At first it seemed he hadn't hit anything, then the air began to flicker where his sword has struck. Then a Wizzrobe faded into existence, hovering a foot off the ground, and cackling wildly from its red hood. Still laughing violently, it shot another ball of fire from his hands. It struck Link's sword, which continued to move and passed through the creatures robe. And it fell in a heap, no body to be seen in the ripped garments. Link kicked the remains absently with a grimace on his face as another fire-ball whizzed by him and knocked Slahinyr from his hand. He was startled for less than a second, then rolled across the ground and grabbed Slahinyr from where it had clattered against the stone. Through his glove, he could feel a dull warmth emanating from the hilt.

Just as quickly as he snatched the sword off the ground, it was gone from his hand again, but this time it was on purpose. The sword slid quickly and quietly through one of the two Wizzrobes now attacking. The other one threw a fire orb at Link's head, but he ducked to the side and listened to the _zip_ it made as it passed less than an inch from his ear. He rolled across the ground and skidded to a stop when his glove touched the hilt of Slahinyr. He tried to cut the Wizzrobe in half, but performed as close to a jump as one could without feet. The passing of the blade under its robe seemed to knock it off its balance, at least long enough for Slahinyr to puncture its chest.

Stalchildren began to pour from the walls in all directions. Link cut them down quickly and easily, but there were too many for him to fend off for long. Just when they came upon him with full force and it couldn't get worse, Stalfos Knights and the fire-red creatures began to pour with them. He could barely even touch these amongst so many Stalchildren, much less cut a thousand of them down. But they kept pouring and pouring, a never-ending wave of constant undead. Link looked at them even as he blocked a slash from a scythe and cut off a stalchild's head, and knew that there was no chance of survival He would die. But he would kill a thousand of them before he did.

His left hand carried Slahinyr slowly to Link's side. The creatures stopped attacking for one brief second, which was all Link needed. He stretched his arm out from his left side and it took on a blue glow. It caught a blinding blue flame, and the creatures were dazed by its brightness. Before long, there was a red glow highlighting the blue flame, and the flame became red, twice as big and bright as the blue flame. When Link couldn't hold it any longer, he let his left hand slack, and the sword flashed around him in a circle. To Link's surprise, not a single creature was left standing. Every sing bone was shattered, every robe torn to pieces. He looked in silence, and then saw no more.

The Fierce Deity's eyes shot open frantically. He was laying uncomfortably on his stomach, over bones and red rags scattered all around him. There was a cloth around where his wound would be, which he quickly pulled off and tossed over his shoulder. He didn't remember putting that there. In fact, he didn't remember coming here, or killing so many to scatter such bones. And, secretly, something somewhere deep in his brain suggested that his skill could not cause such havoc. But he quickly pushed that thought away. Of course he could! He was a Deity! The fabled Shadow of Oblivion himself! He was so powerful, he had been appointed the very Right Hand of C-

What was this? It wasn't a bone he was laying on, but a key. A beautiful bronze key, sculpted in the shape of a rampaging bull's head. He put it up in his black chain sleeve and got to his feet. He must push on. His sliced leg did not hurt now, and he must make the best of that precious little time he could.

He ran for awhile, while his leg didn't hurt, but that brought the burning throb back stronger than ever. Soon it was almost unbearable, but he thought himself stronger than just to stop. But even he, the Great Fierce Deity of so many legends, had to flinch with every step he took before long.

His limp grew worse and worse as the minutes passed, until he was moving at a slug's pace. His spirits were raised a little when he saw the end of his walk and his leg didn't seem to hurt quite so bad. The exit looked just like the entrance, a bronze frame with red and white flags hanging down from the top. He climbed painfully up the three feet from the railroad to the walkway and continued on.

It was dark in here. The only light came from the holes in the ceiling above the railroad tracks. However, in the darkness he thought he could see a door, made of bronze like everything else. He grabbed the handle and pulled, but it was locked. Instead, he kicked it, and it disintegrated under his foot. The powder that leapt into the air from the crushed rust revealed red lasers shooting from one side of the room to another. The Fierce Deity threw a piece of the door into the laser, and it evaporated instantly. The Fierce Deity's normally steady-as-stone heart skipped a beat, surprised at the outcome.

He wasn't afraid for long. He quickly jumped over the first laser and rolled under the second, rolling around a corner in the hallway. There was a post in the middle of the room spinning with lasers coming out of it, surrounded by a thick web of lasers. He jumped over one as it came towards him and ducked under the next, but it caught the Double Helix sword and evaporated the tip. He didn't stop to look, but kept running ducking under one laser just before leaping over another, using the momentum of the leap to roll under the next. At one point, the lasers were burning so close to him that he put his back to the slow-spinning post and sidled along with it until he was on the other side, then broke into a sprint and dove between two more.

Then came an impassible wall of four lasers shooting from one side of the room to the other, blocking the exit. The only room was a foot or two of space at the top. The Fierce Deity did something he had, until that point, thought impossible. He jumped up and planted one foot on the wall just as the lasers from the post came by, skimming off the bottom of his boot. He pushed off the wall and dove through the two feet of space over the lasers, and came crashing down hard onto the ground. There were no more lasers he, except for the ones from the post, spinning slowly in his direction, then passing a few inches over his face. A few seconds later, it would pass over again. Besides that, it was calm.

The Fierce Deity pulled the Double Helix sword out of its sheath and examined the tip. A crescent was cut into it, dulling it perfectly. The Fierce Deity put his hand over it, and it revitalized, but caused the armor on his right hand to thin quite a bit. He put his left hand to the bottom of his foot, and the armor there revitalized as well, not cutting his left hand quite as thin as his right. He jumped up when a laser wasn't flashing in front of him, and quickly pushed open the big stone door in front of him.

Behind the door was nothing but a bronze room. There were holes in the ceiling, reflecting off the walls and floor, resulting in a blinding light. The Fierce Deity covered his eyes with his forearm while he got used to the glow. Then he walked forward. There was nothing in the room but a huge gold keyhole in the wall, intricately decorated in rusting bronze and blue. Above it, it said in every color of the rainbow, "King of Fools".

_What is the King of Fools?_ The Fierce Deity thought to himself.

"The evil monster at the end of the dungeon, like every other one," Link responded. Apparently, he had woken up.

_And that helps me how?_

"Chances are, you'll get one of the Spirit Gems."

_That is your quest. I'm here only to kill whatever lies behind that door._

"How could any living creature have such hate within him to kill a warrior that is not his enemy?"

_That's why I'm the **Fierce Deity**, remember?_

"Fine. Kill him. If you weren't here, I would have to do it anyway. I hope your bloodlust is fulfilled."

_And who are you to judge me?_

But Link was silent. His part had been played. The task of defeating whatever was behind the door fell solely on The Fierce Deity. The key he had hidden in his sleeve slid out into his hand, and he shoved it into the keyhole. Rust slowly webbed across the wall and swelled outward until the entire wall was green with rust, and then it fell apart, leaving nothing but another passage. The Fierce Deity took a single step into the passage, and bronze bars (devoid of the rust that covered everything else) smashed into the ground behind him.

He stood still, and a sad whisper echoed through the room. The King of Fools began to taunt the Fierce deity with calm and quiet words.

" If what I feel is the only truth  
And what I give out will make up what I'll receive  
Can I leave behind my naivete of youth?  
Will I be crucified for wanting to believe?"

The Fierce Deity put his right hand on his hip and drew his sword with his left. "The King of Fools."

"Could you hold us up if I would drag you down?  
Resurrect emotions from our past  
And if they had a king for fools would I wear the crown?"

The Fierce Deity's anger grew with every word he said. He became happy he was going to have to kill this beast for the boy.

"I will no longer have to worry of your 'dragging me down' once you are dead."

"And if we don't worry about a thing  
Will we be sorry when the rain is falling again  
And what does it matter  
If fortune should favor  
It's never the final amen."

"I will not fail to end your life."

It began to rain, as if through the ceiling of the bronze tunnel.

"It's all a game, avoiding failure, when true colors will bleed  
All in the name of misbehavior and the things we don't need"

"Show yourself! Enough is enough!"

"I lust for after no disaster can touch us anymore

And more than ever, I hope to never fall, where enough is not the same it was before."

Finally, the King of Fools showed himself. He seemed to materialize in the room. His bronze breastplate shone into The Fierce Deity's eyes. There was a jester's cap on his head, also made of bronze, but was flexible, like silk. The bells at the end of each point were made of every color of the rainbow, slowly squirming and moving sluggishly from one place to the next, like the innards of a lava-lamp. He would have almost looked funny, but there was such a feeling of sadness emanating from him that The Fierce Deity almost (but not quite) felt pity for him.

He drew a katana from his back. The blade was made of bronze, untouched by rust. The hilt's basket was of a perfect shining silver color. The rest of the hilt looked like the bells on his head, psychedelic and sad. Suddenly the Fierce Deity did not feel so eager to kill, but the feeling passed quickly. This is what he was made to do. He could hold nothing back.

"Must this be done?" The King of Fools' quiet voice, working smoothly through the heavy sound of rain.

The fierce Deity smiled monstrously and nodded.

"Fine."

The King of Fools attacked suddenly and quickly, not beginning slowly or slowing down after each blow. He fought with unbridled speed. The Fierce Deity could sense his death on the edge of every slice he barely managed to block, and it frightened him. The one time the King of Fools' perfect blows were off even the slightest bit, the katana caught between the blades of the Double Helix Blade. And, under its inhuman sharpness, the katana was cut, and became nothing more than a dagger.

This did not work to the Fierce Deity's advantage. With half the sword, he gained twice the speed, and was even more unstoppable. The Fierce Deity knew he would not survive. For every strike he blacked, two more would land on his arms or legs. Eventually, after an interminable amount of painful, torturing time, there was no strength left in his hands. He blocked the final blow, knocking the Double Helix Sword from his gauntlets. It flipped once in the air before The King of Fools caught it by its hilt without a moment's thought, and kicked The Fierce Deity to the ground.

There he lay, sprawled over the bronze floor, rain in his eyes and dripping from his hair and face, with the King of Fools standing over him, one foot on each of his sides, the Double Helix Blade raised above his head with the point fixed on The Fierce Deity's chest. The Fierce Deity uttered his last words. "So ends the Fierce Deity, and the world with him."

The King of Fools' grip loosened on the blade. "What?'

"You truly are a fool. Did you think I came for the pleasure of killing you? I fought for the safety of the world itself. Now end it, so I will not have to live with the shame of defeat."

But The King of Fools did not end it. He stood over The Fierce Deity for a moment, then lowered the blade and handed it to The Fierce Deity, then helped him up. When he was finished, he kneeled before The Fierce Deity, and said in his quiet voice, "The world means more than my meager existence ever will. Slay me now."

Even the Fierce Deity's stomach turned at the sight. He hesitated, thinking what a sad man this must be. He will give his life for the world, not out of nobility or conscience, but because he decides life is not worth living. How could any one human being hold such depression?

"Kill me now!"

The Fierce Deity raised the Double Helix Blade, hesitated again for a moment, and ended it.

---------------------

Link spoke from The Fierce Deity's mind. "Are you satisfied? Has your bloodlust been successfully fulfilled? Are you happy?"

_What do you want from me, Link? To tell you that I am? That I am glad I killed him? I'm not! Not a bit! I've never experienced such a feeling before…_

"It's called a conscience. People like you very rarely happen across it. Now, let us leave this place. It has the smell of death on it now."

The Zora's sapphire had risen from the ground, and The Fierce Deity had taken it. There was nothing left but the blue ring of light now. The Fierce Deity stepped into it, and they were gone.

**As an unimportant note, this story was originally meant to be a video game, back when I first discovered Game Maker. After writing it all down, It doesn't seem like it would make a very good game, but I'm having fun writing it!**

**P.S. Now that you've read, don't forget to review!**


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